Stardust and Fire
by an-upset-librarian
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia believed she was just an ordinary college student, until one fateful night when she was attacked by demonic monsters. Luckily, Natsu Dragneel saved her and brought her to Fairy Tail- a magical guild for magical creatures. There, she learns the world is not what it seems and that she is not human. She never was. Lucy joins Natsu and the gang to discover her past.
1. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Lucy always believed in magic. Ever since she was a little girl, she knew that she was special, that she was different from normal kids. Her mother told her she was a Starchild, born from fairie dust. Lucy, who was only but a child then, believed her mother. She could see things other kids couldn't, and sometimes she would have conversations with the stars at night. The lights twinkling up in the night sky were a comfort for the child, even when she grew into an adult.

It was when she was six that she discovered magic wasn't always nice; it wasn't just talking to the constellations, or talking to the small creatures that lived in the manor grounds. When Lucy first went to school, she soon learned not to talk about her friends in the sky, or the little creatures in the forests. The other kids would tease her, and when one boy pulled her long blonde hair and pushed her around, Lucy felt the shining golden ichor that was the magic burning in her blood burst open and explode out of her body with her screams.

Luckily, her family paid for the boy's medical bills, and then Lucy was kept within the manor and taught by private tutors. Her mother helped her understand the power flowing in her veins. Before Lucy even turned ten, her mother fell ill and died. It was that fateful day that Lucy stopped listening to her friends, the stars, and started to ignore the beings living in her gardens. Soon they disappeared, and the starts stopped trying to speak to her. Soon, Lucy forgot that she was made of stardust and light.

With an exasperated sigh, Lucy closed her oversized textbook closed with a loud enough smack for the night librarian to glare over at the tired blonde. She couldn't even muster the energy to feel sorry for disturbing the silence of the library. Lucy slowly grabbed her belongings and piled them into her bag, then crept out of the library and out into the blessedly cool night air. Once the night sky touched her skin, she felt a sliver of energy pulse through her. The girl took a deep breath, then began her trek back to her apartment. She pulled out her phone and lamented at the late hour. It was already past midnight, and she hadn't left the campus since early that morning. Another tired sigh fell from her lips. College would be fun, she had said, she could make it as a full-time student and work in her free time, she'd said. What a foolish idea. Lucy didn't regret leaving her old life behind in Crocus, but dammit it was hard to work and be a responsible student. At least she had a day off tomorrow, she told herself. A nice Saturday to spend in the bath relaxing after catching up on some much-needed sleep.

Lucy straightened the straps on her shoulder. In her tired state, she didn't notice that her feet led her astray, away from her usual path home on the well-lit streets, and onto the dark side-streets and alleyways. Subconsciously she knew that the safer path with the street lights was quite a bit longer, but her tired brain figured one time down the shorter and darker path wouldn't hurt and would be worth it when she finally got to lay down on her soft bed and sleep away her troubles.

A quiet, yet familiar voice, whispered in her ear that danger was near, and Lucy tensed when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoing behind her. Not daring to turn around and face the stranger on her tail, the blonde reached down into pocket for the handy pepper spray she kept on her person always. Her fist clenched around the cylinder, and Lucy quickened her pace. Her exhaustion was forgotten as hot adrenaline started to thrum through her bloodstream. Her heart fluttered in panic when she heard her follower speed up to match her. Lucy whispered a curse, and considered bolting through the shadowed alley and towards the safety of civilization when another cloaked figure dropped down in front of her, as though fallen from the sky.

Lucy froze, and heard her follower stop too. She pulled the pepper spray canister out of her pocket, and flipped the lid open in preparation to attack. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she swore it was loud enough for them to hear. The two figures encircled the scared blonde, their faces concealed in the shadows of their dark hoods.

"What do you want?" She finally stuttered out. Lucy tried to conceal the fear she felt dripping down her spine, but her shaky voice gave her emotions away. One of the figures let out a grating chuckle that sounded too guttural to be human, "We are quite lucky tonight, yes, yes. Oh, how The Dark Lord is smiling down at us."

Lucy felt a cold shiver drip down her spine, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Dark Lord, like the Harry Potter villain? The voice from before whispered again in her mind, but was too quiet and far away for Lucy to understand. The second person growled out something in a language Lucy couldn't understand. It was a series of grunts and clicks that did not even sound human. The voice became a soft buzz echoing in the back of her mind, and Lucy felt a fervid warmth dance across her skin.

The one that spoke English slowly crept closer and closer to the blonde, muttering something about stardust and blood. When he was a few feet away, he spoke again, "Your trinket may hide your aura, but I can smell you through its magic."

Confusion mixed with the fear in the melting pot of emotions rolling through Lucy's gut. These two must be deranged to think that magic was real. Unconsciously, Lucy's free hand grasped at the golden locked between her breasts, thumbing the warm metal. Not wanting to wait around and see what the two fiendish stalkers would try next, Lucy lifted the pepper spray and sprayed it at the man in front of her, then darted past him when he recoiled in shock with a throaty scream. She pushed to a sprint, hoping that she could outrun the monstrous figures. Sadly, she was no match for their supernatural speed. The second man, who spoke the strange tongue, appeared in her path and Lucy skidded to a stop, eyes wide. How he moved so fast, she did not know. All she knew was that she was in danger, and she had to get out. Before she could turn and run in the opposite direction, a hand wrapped around her throat and flung her into the nearest wall. Lucy flew like a ragdoll, and when she collided with the unforgiving brick her vision went white. A choked scream crawled up her throat, and her body screamed in agony. She swore she heard something inside her crack when her body slammed into the grimy street.

Sputtering, she willed her broken body to move. All she could feel was unending pain. She rolled onto her back and saw, through tear filled eyes, the glittering stars above. Her locket started to heat up with supernatural intensity, and Lucy felt a strangely familiar profound inferno of light pour out of her chest and saturate every fiber of her being. She looked down at her arms and saw that her skin was fluorescing a soft golden glow. Before the shock could hit, the man was on top of her and his hand was once again wrapped around her throat. It was then that Lucy realized with abject horror that her attacker was no man at all. He purred, and stroked her shining skin with a clawed talon. A scream built in her throat when she saw what the man truly was beneath his cloak. Demonic red eyes gazed down at her, and his deep red skin felt like thick leather. The creature laughed on top of her, and she heard his companion echo a similar sound.

Gasping, the blonde tried to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail. She kicked her legs and tried to pry his claw from her throat. She did not want to die here in some dirty alleyway. The monster just smiled devilishly down at her, restraining her movements with practiced ease. The brighter her skin became, the hotter she felt. Lucy winced when she felt the metal of her locket burn through her shirt and brand itself onto her skin. Black spots appeared in her vision as the need for air became unbearable. Lucy tried to fight against the demon sitting atop her chest, clawing at the hand constricting her airway. As her need to breathe intensified, her glowing skin started to fade back to normal. Lucy flickered like a dying lightbulb as the life was slowly choked out of her.

"Shhhh, don't worry, it'll be over soon. Zeref will reward me greatly for this sacrifice," The monster growled. Lucy felt her arms go weak and collapse at her side as her vision slowly turned to black. Right before she fell unconscious, she felt a flash of hot air and heard a wild war cry. The monster's grip on her neck loosened enough for Lucy to take a gasping breath, and then he leapt up off her torso with a wild roar. She felt another rush of hot air, and the smell of smoke wafted up her nose. Coughing and choking, Lucy rolled onto her side as she tried to catch her breath. She heard screams, and then a maniacal laugh. There was a loud crunching, then silence. Lucy finally gathered the strength to look up, and the sight was enough to fuel her nightmares for the foreseeable future. A strange man stood a few feet away with the charred corpses of her attackers at his feet. Crimson flames licked up his arms and smoke wafted from his lips. The air around him smoldered with fire. Somehow, the stranger looked even more demonic than her attackers, as though he had just stepped out of hell itself. He wore a white scarf, and a strange tunic that left one arm bare. The strangest thing was the disheveled mop of pink hair atop his head. Lucy panted, and tried to sit up, drawing the attention of the strange man.

"Oh hey, are you okay?" He asked, rushing over to help her sit against the wall. His skin felt alarmingly hot. With wild eyes, Lucy clutched at the scalding locket around her neck, finally tossing it away and rubbing the burn below her collarbone. The shock about what had just happened finally started to sink in and replaced the adrenaline that slowly evaporated away. Her head throbbed, and she could feel the bruises starting to form around her neck. The man gave her a sheepish smile and started to say something, but all Lucy could hear was the ringing in her ears. She blinked up at him with a gaping mouth, then darkness clouded her vision and she finally fainted.

 _"What should we do now? She almost died!" A man exclaimed. She heard a few voices mutter in agreement with the man, and a few calls of outrage._

 _"She's the last Heartfilia, she needs to know," Another voice said. Lucy felt like she was floating weightlessly on air, and all she could see was various shining orbs of light. Stars? They reminded her of stars._

 _"Don't worry, she's headed to Fairy Tail now, it won't be long now," A woman growled. Lucy reached out to touch one of the stars, but before her hand could reach the glowing surface she felt a tug in her gut pull her down and away from the shining lights and familiar voices._

 _"She'll find the keys soon, we just have to be patient," the woman spoke again, her voice getting softer as Lucy was pulled farther away from the stars. She vaguely heard the man that spoke first grunt out a response, but she was being pulled away too fast to understand. Soon the lights faded, and all she could see was darkness._

Lucy woke with stabbing pain pulsing through her whole body. She opened her eyes and sat up, wincing at the sharp pain ringing in her head. She was in a room that looked like a school nurse's office with rows of beds, like the one she was currently sitting on, and cabinets of glass bottles filled with strange liquids and objects. Lucy rose, ignoring the throbbing pain, and walked up to the nearest cabinet with wide eyes. Some of the liquids moved on their own, or flashed with light and others contained bones and teeth. It was in the glass panes that she saw her own reflection and recoiled in shock. A large hand-shaped bruise encircled her neck and various other bruises coated what skin she could see. Lucy cautiously approached her bed when she felt her knees start to shake. The memories of her attack returned when her fingers touched the scratchy blanket resting on the cot, and Lucy's knees finally gave out. She fell with a soft gasp, her hand reaching up to touch her sore neck. Her skin burned to the touch, and Lucy's hand recoiled. The blonde darted over to the door and slowly opened it up enough to peek out and see where she was. The last thing she remembered before passing out was a strange pink-haired man coming to her rescue, but that did not explain where she was or how she got there.

The moment she moved the door barely an inch, it was slammed open from the other side, sending Lucy tumbling to the ground. Cursing, she glared up at the person who opened the door so suddenly. Her glare turned to a look of surprise when she recognized the pink-haired man from her attack. The man that had rescued her and turned the creatures attacking her to smoldering ashes.

"Oh good! You're awake. It's been hours, and I've been waiting for what felt like forever," The young man said, outstretching a hand for Lucy to grab. She hesitantly grasped his hand, noting the roughness if the callouses on his palm. He pulled her to her feet and then out through the door and into a larger room. It resembled a tavern, with many large tables spread across the room in rows and a large bar spanning most the long wall to her right. The sounds of laughter and glasses clinking together filled the dining room. Lucy felt her mouth drop open in awe when she noticed that the patrons of the bar were not all _human._ There was a large white-haired man who seemed to tower above everything yelling about manliness sitting at a table with an older man wearing an impish grin with skin tinted blue, and a woman was floating in the air with an entire wooden barrel in her hands screaming about a drinking contest while being chased by a furious looking red-head wearing what appeared to be medieval battle armor.

Before Lucy could take in the strange sight before her, the man pulled her over to the bar and gestured for her to sit. Not knowing what else to do, she listened and climbed up onto a barstool. She must be dreaming. She hit her head or passed out at the library and what she was seeing now was a part of a sleep-deprived hallucination her wild imagination concocted.

"I'm dreaming, that's it, this is all a terrible dream," She muttered, holding her head in her hands. The man next to her laughed, and leaned down to meet her gaze. "This isn't a dream, you're in Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail?" She whispered. The name seemed familiar, almost as if she heard it in a dream. The man nodded, and waved over at someone behind the bar.

"Yup! We're the best magical guild there is. My name's Natsu, by the way," He said with a wide, bright smile. Lucy stared blankly at him, her mind whirring. Magical guild. Giants. Strange colored people. Fairies flying in the air. It was too much for Lucy to handle. She jumped down from the barstool and let out a frustrated scream, pulling at her golden hair.

"What does this even mean? None of this is possible! What happened to me? Where was I? What happened in the alley? How did I glow? What is this place? I have to be dreaming, there's no other _logical_ explanation! I must've fallen asleep in the library and I'm still in the middle of my dream. None of this makes any sense!" She ranted. Her outburst drew the attention of everyone in the guild, but Lucy was still in the middle of her freak-out and didn't notice. "How did I get here? _What_ the fuck are all these people? And last of all, why did you choose to dye your hair _pink_?"

Natsu, who had been watching her ramble with an amused smile, jumped up with a distasteful noise.

"Whaddya mean, why's my hair pink? It's natural!" He exclaimed. Lucy gaped at him and screamed, "Of all my questions, that's the one you take issue with!"

Before Natsu could respond, an impossibly small man appeared on top of the counter next to Lucy and clapped his hands together, sending a deafening boom crashing through the room.

"Enough!" He shouted, his voice amplified by some kind of magic. When the rest of the guild settled back down enough for the background noise of voices to return, the man turned and smiled at Lucy.

"My dear, my name is Makarov and I can answer all of your questions and more, just have a seat and tell me what happened to you." The tiny man stated and then sat cross-legged on the counter with the same gentle smile on his face. Lucy cautiously returned to her seat, turning to glare over at Natsu, before recounting the horror she experienced what felt like days ago, but in reality, had only been hours.

"Hmm, looks like you were attacked by members of a dark guild. Demons, based on your description," The man, Makarov, said after she finished, stroking his large white mustache. Natsu grumbled incoherently from the stool next to Lucy.

"Natsu, did you happen to grab the pendant Lucy spoke of?" Makarov asked. When Natsu didn't respond, the older man glared down at the younger man and then karate-chopped the top of his head. Natsu screamed in pain, and glared at Makarov, before fishing out the golden locket from his vest pocket and handing it to Makarov.

"How interesting," The old man muttered to himself. Curious, Lucy reached out for her locket, but Makarov swatted her hand away.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but it appears as though this locket is some kind of cursed object," He explained. Lucy opened her mouth to ask what he meant, when Natsu said, "That's why the damn thing hurt ya so bad."

Lucy reached up and touched the scorched skin where the pendant had burned her.

"It only started to burn when my skin started to, um, glow," Lucy stuttered. She was still extremely confused about what on earth was going on, but she couldn't deny that _something_ happened to her. Something otherworldly. As insane as this place, Fairy Tail, seemed, it was giving her some answers.

"I believe that this necklace has been forcing you to remain in human form, and glamouring your aura. It's quite complex magic," Makarov stated, "This means that you are not human, Lucy. I believe that when we destroy this locket, it will reveal your true self. Then, we can answer more of your questions."

Lucy inhaled sharply. Not human? What did Makarov mean? His explanation brought up more questions, but Lucy forced herself to remain silent. The memory of when she received that locket came to the forefront of her mind, filling her with sadness. Her father had given her the locket after her mother died and ordered her to never take it off. He said it would protect her, and Lucy - a scared little girl at the time - believed him. She'd never taken it off since that day. She reached out and touched the hot metal, her curiosity piqued. Right before she could grab the warm golden locket, another hand reached out and snatched it from her grasp. Lucy gasped, looking up at Natsu, who now held the locket within his fingers. He narrowed his eyes at the necklace, and Lucy cautiously extended her hand towards his to grab the necklace and return it to its rightful place around her neck. No matter what Makarov said, she could not destroy the locket. It was all she had left of her family and her old life. Before she could reach Natsu's hand, the man smiled over at Lucy and then his hand and the locket burst into flame. Lucy screamed and thrust her fingers towards the blaze, only to recoil when her skin met the hot inferno. Natsu stared down at his hand in concentration, and Lucy cried out as he slowly crushed the metal within his fingers.

A crack resounded in her soul when the locket finally gave in.

Lucy felt a sharp pain in her chest when the pendant finally gave in to the heat and pressure and broke, and she clutched at her heart. She heard Makarov telling her to breath, but he sounded like he was talking to her through a thick wall. Lucy's skin burned, and she saw the golden glow return. It was brighter than it had been before, and more intense. She shone almost as bright as one of the stars she used to love so much as a child. Lucy winced as the light faded back into her skin.

Her skin prickled with power and all her senses were heightened. She stood, and frantically looked around her. She was now hyper-aware of her surroundings. The sound of her bar stool scraping against the wooden floor sounded as loud as a crashing waterfall, and she could see the individual dust-mites floating through the air. The sounds of the restaurant were overwhelming. She clutched at her head, trying to block out the screaming and the banging she once thought was mere background noise. She shut her eyes and tried to take calm steady breaths. Instead, she panted heavily. She heard Makarov's voice telling her to calm down and focus, but there was too much sensory stimulation. She could feel everything, even the air on her skin. Lucy recoiled when she felt hot arms wrap around her, but then a soothing voice whispered in her ear.

"…'s okay, just breathe, I've gotcha," Lucy focused on the sound of Natsu's breathing and his heartbeat. It was strong and steady. Natsu gave her something to focus on and allowed Lucy to ground herself once more. She felt her senses focus and adjust to their new strength. Lucy peered up through her lashes at Natsu's shining green eyes. Natsu's smile melted from his lips as Lucy's icy cold glare hit him. She ripped herself from his grasp, reeled her arm back, then slapped him across the face. Natsu stumbled and slid across the wooden flooring. He rubbed his red cheek and gave Lucy a sheepish smile.

"I suppose I deserved that," He said with a nervous laugh, "But damn, you can really hit now."

"Oh, that was fantastic! I've never seen magic like that before," Makarov exclaimed excitedly. His eyes glittered with fascination and Lucy suddenly felt self-conscious. The sounds and smells of the bar were still slightly overwhelming, but she tried to focus on Makarov.

"What just happened to me?" She asked quietly. Her eyes widened in shock when she heard the bell-like chime that had become her voice. She clapped her hands over her mouth. Panic seeped into her once again, but then she felt Natsu's warm presence behind her once again. As furious as she was at him for destroying her locket, his aura seemed to be the only thing that helped her calm down.

"Look for yourself, my dear," Makarov chuckled, gesturing for her to walk over to a mirror behind the bar. Lucy hesitantly walked around to the mirror, her heart filled with trepidation. Her breath left when she was met with her own reflection.

Lucy squinted, not believing that the gorgeous, ephemeral being in the reflection was actually her. Her hair, that she once considered to be quite lustrous and beautiful before, seemed to radiate with celestial light. The golden locks framed her face and fell gracefully across her shoulders. Her skin seemed to be giving of a slight golden glow, that was not noticeable unless she squinted very hard. Her eyes were the same rich brown, but the biggest change were Lucy's ears. They were now pointed, like an elf's. She reached up and pinched the tips of her ears, letting out a surprised squeak. They were real all right.

The bruises she was sure once wrapped around her throat were faded, and grew lighter with every passing moment. Every blemish and scar or bruise was slowly fading from her skin. Lucy turned back towards Makarov, her confusion clearly written on her face. A few hours ago, she was just a normal English major trying to survive University alone, now she looked like a character from Lord of the Rings.

"Come sit, and I'll explain," Makarov said with a wide smile. Dazed, Lucy returned to her barstool.

"I believe that you are one of the Fae's children. It would explain the ears and possibly the glowing, but that I'm not sure about. You must be a mix of some sort," He explained. Lucy just blinked blankly, completely speechless.

"The heightened senses are a part of being Fae-born, and I believe you'll find that you're a lot stronger than you used to be. Levy could explain this all to you," He continued.

"Fae?" Lucy finally asked. Makarov sighed and rubbed his temple.

"Natsu, go and get Levy, will ya?" He ordered. Natsu grumbled, but wandered off to do as his master asked.

"I know this is all must be so confusing, but you are welcome to stay here at Fairy Tail while we get this all sorted out. What I want you to know, Lucy, is that you are not human. In fact, nobody in this whole building is human. There's more to the world than you know. Magic and magical creatures exist. We live in tandem with humanity, but in the shadows. Most of the stories from your childhood are based on fact." Makarov said. Lucy felt panic flutter wildly in her chest at his words. Part of her argued there was no way magic was real, and she was hallucinating everything, the other part of her remembered the fear and the warm ichor spreading through her body. The latter won her inner argument, and Lucy decided to believe Makarov. How else could she explain the crazy night she'd had?

"Master, Natsu said you wanted me?" A soft feminine voice called. Lucy turned and faced a blue-haired girl who appeared to be around her age, but slightly shorter than her. Pointed ears peeked out from behind the blue locks, like her own.

"Levy! I want you to meet Lucy. I believe she is demi-fae, like you, and could you do me a favor and show her around? She has lots of questions I'm sure," Makarov said, winking at Levy. The girl smiled and extended her hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Levy," she introduced. Lucy hesitantly shook the girl's hand. Levy's eyes widened when their skin touched, and she gasped. The blonde drew back her hand as though she'd been burned, looking between Makarov and Levy in confusion. Makarov only raised a brow at Levy's reaction, the corner of his lips turning upwards.

"You felt it too?" He asked. Levy just nodded and giggled.

"Wow, Lucy. It's like sticking my hand into an electrical socket. You're very powerful," Levy explained. Lucy's brow furrowed, and she looked down at her skin, which did seem to hum with a strange current.

"Get Cana to do a reading, will ya? Then show her around," Makarov said with a wave of his hand. He turned and hopped off the bar, then waddled over to the white-haired bartender with a sly smile.

"Come on, Lucy," Levy said, drawing the blonde's attention from the older man. Lucy followed Levy over to the brunette that had been flying around with a giant barrel earlier. Luckily, she was now seated, but the barrel of what Lucy could now smell as alcohol remained. Lucy felt the ringing in her ears return when the noise in the bar increased as a fight broke out across the room. She winced and took a few deep breaths to calm her senses.

"Still gettin' used to it, ay?" The brunette asked with a knowing gaze. Lucy sat down across from her and nodded, giving her a wary smile.

"I'm Cana, the resident witch," The woman said, nodding at Lucy, who introduced herself in turn. Cana just smiled over at her, giving her a curiously excited look.

"Ooh, I can feel you all the way from over here. It's intoxicating," She laughed, leaning over the table and taking a deep breath of the air right in front of Lucy.

"Cana! Behave." Levy scolded, swatting the witch lovingly on the nose. Cana laughed, and waved away Levy's hand. "Don't worry, I'll be nice."

Lucy bit her bottom lip, still unsure of what she was supposed to be doing. Levy gave her a reassuring smile, filling her with relief. Levy seemed like a nice enough person, and if she was the same type of c _reature_ as Lucy, then the blonde hoped she could answer all of her questions.

"Alright, let's get started," Cana exclaimed, cracking her knuckles. The air surrounding the table stilled and Cana adopted an eerie aura. The sounds of the fight and the bar faded away, and the air crackled with magic. Lucy felt the electricity of Cana's magic dance across her skin and her lips formed an elated smile. When Cana opened her eyes, gone was the sparking personality from before. It had been replaced by some supernatural entity. A voice echoed in Lucy's head, beckoning her towards the magic Cana exuded. The witch held out her hands for Lucy to grab. She glanced nervously at Levy, who just nodded towards Cana's outstretched palms. Lucy slowly reached out and placed her hands on top of Cana's.

The moment their skin touched, Cana stiffened and the golden light returned to Lucy's skin. Lucy felt magic pulse through her entire body, sending each of her nerves alight with a pleasant hum.

" _The Light of the Heavens fills you. You are the last star. The golden giants call to you from above. Soon you will find the answers you seek. Find the keys, find the truth,"_ A rasping voice groaned out of Cana. The voice filled Lucy with a dark sense of dread. Just as suddenly as it came, the haunting aura left Cana and the world returned to its normal pace. The witch released Lucy's hands and took heaving breaths. Lucy's hands shook, and the golden light slowly dimmed and faded.

"Holy shit. I've never felt that kind of power before," Cana panted, "Kid, you need to learn how to reel in that crazy aura of yours before it brings you more trouble."

Lucy just stared down at her shaking fingers unsure of how to respond. She had no clue what Cana was talking about, nor what the strange unearthly voice meant either.

"Come on, I'll show you upstairs," Levy said, reaching down to grab Lucy by the arm and lead her away from Cana and the fight. Lucy swore she saw a flash of pink in the mess of bodies that was only growing as time went on, but she turned and followed Levy up to the second level. Her mind was reeling with all the new information she'd learned in the past hour, and she gladly followed Levy, her mind swarmed with questions.

Once Lucy was upstairs, the red-haired woman's voice boomed through the building, commanding the fighters to calm down. Natsu disentangled himself from the fray, glancing up to the staircase.

"Alright, brats! I'm sure you've noticed our newcomer. She's been tricked into believing she was human, and we are going to help her transition. What she chooses from there is her own decision. I want you all to treat her with respect! Cana, tell us what you saw," Makarov boomed, swelling in size until he loomed over his children.

"She's different, but I can't see what she is very well. I know she has Fae in her, but that shouldn't make her glow like a firefly," Cana drawled. Makarov pursed his lips, then announced, "We are Fairy Tail! We will not forsake this poor child, but we will not tolerate any threat."

Once Makarov had shrunk down to his normal size, the activity returned to normal. There was, however, an excited atmosphere as the guild members discussed the shining new girl and what she could mean for the guild.

Natsu stared up at the staircase, deep in thought. When he hugged Lucy close to him, his skin thrummed with exquisite power, power he was sure everyone in the guild had felt pulsing through the air. Her aura was wildly out of control. His fingers touched the red spot still on his face, and he pursed his lips. She was a conundrum, that golden girl. Since he was the one that broke her locket and thrust her into his world, Natsu decided that he would help her out. Who knows, maybe she would decide to join Fairy Tail someday.

 **New Nalu au! It's modern magical universe! I'm super excited for what I have planned and for this story in general.**

 **Please leave reviews to let me know how you think this story is going so far!**


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

 _"I'm worried," The man said, his fingers curling in Lucy's blonde locks._

 _"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine," The angry woman from before muttered, but there was still a worried look lingering in her gaze. The two figures were joined by another, who said, "She needs to find the keys before something happens."_

 _"You're right, as always, Capricorn." The man with the mane of ginger hair sighed. Lucy felt as though she should know these people, but the memories were lost to her. A longing sadness washed over her when the faces of the three turned to look down at her._

 _"She's so close to my key, if only she would find it," The kind man whined._

 _"We just have to be patient," The stern woman said with a strange softness. As with her previous vision, she felt something tug her away from the stars and pull her back to her body where the memory of her visions would become only a dream._

Lucy woke with tired eyes and a sore body. Sunlight spread across her bedcovers, and the quiet of the morning greeted her. She stretched, then rubbed the sleep from her eyes, feeling tearstains on her cheeks. She shot up as memories from the night before returned. The alley fight, Natsu crushing her locket, the strange transformation, and the encounter with Cana. She ran over to the bathroom connected to her room and cursed when she saw her ethereal reflection. The pointed ears peeked out from under her flaxen locks. She collapsed to her knees, her head in her hands. Tears leaked from her eyes. This couldn't be happening. It had to have been a dream, an insane dream. Despite her hopes for waking up in her apartment on her day off, she was in a strange hotel-style room in a strange place with a strange body. Lucy curled up on the bathroom floor as she recalled the events that led her to where she was now.

After explaining that the lower level housed the bar and kitchens as well as mission assignments, the demi-fae took her to one of the many rooms available for guests in the upper level of the guild. Levy opened a door that led to a small room at the end of one of the many corridors, declaring it Lucy's for the time being. The room was small, but cozy. There was a decent sized bed next to a wide window, and a few bedside tables, as well as a large dresser. There were two doors in the room, one leading to a small walk-in closet, and the other to a bathroom furnished with a shower, toilet, and sink.

Lucy collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion hitting her once more. Levy left after giving Lucy a pitying gaze, telling the blonde that she would return in the morning to answer more of her questions. Lucy hadn't argued with the blue-haired woman. She knew she was far too tired to understand Levy's explanations. The night's events were finally hitting her, and Lucy knew she was minutes away from a complete breakdown.

After a long, steaming hot shower, Lucy put on the pair of linen pajamas Levy had left on her bed and crawled beneath the covers. Her hand touched the now smooth skin where her locket had burned her. She felt lost without the familiar weight beneath her collar bone. She curled up into a small ball, pulled the blankets up over her head, and cried herself to sleep.

Lucy felt warm tears cascade down her cheeks yet again. She remained on the cool tile of the bathroom floor until she heard a hesitant knock at the door. The blonde tensed and rose to her feet, quickly wiping the tears from her face. The knock sounded again, and Lucy quickly splashed cold water onto her face. She avoided her reflection in the mirror above the sink and dashed over to open the door.

"Hey Lucy!" Levy chirped. She held some clothes in her arms, and Lucy moved to the side to let the girl in. If Levy noticed the redness of her eyes, or the swell in her cheeks, she did not say anything. For that, Lucy was thankful.

"I brought you some new clothes. They're Mirajane's, so they should fit okay," The fae said, placing the clothes on one of the nightstands. Lucy thanked the blue haired woman, grabbing the clothes and hurrying into the bathroom to get changed. Levy brought a few pairs of jeans for Lucy to try, all of which did not fit exactly right. Lucy pulled on a dark pair that left a little room around her hips, and then pulled on a simple pale pink shirt. She glanced down at the dirty, ripped clothes piled in the corner with a disgusted grimace. Lucy pulled her hair up into a high pony tail and then returned to the bedroom without looking at her reflection.

"Those fit better than I expected!" Levy exclaimed. Lucy smiled at the woman, muttering her thanks. With a bright smile, Levy opened the door and said, "Come on, let's go down to the dining hall. We can eat and I can answer your questions."

The guild hall was practically empty in the early morning hours. The same beautiful waitress was wiping down the bar, and she gave the two fae a dazzling smile when they took a seat at the bar.

"Oh, I'm so glad the clothes fit you! Let me fix you two some food," The woman stated with a clap of her hands. She disappeared into the kitchen, humming a simple melody. Lucy bit her lip. The questions that filled her mind the night before were returning, and she was eager to start getting answers from Levy.

"Levy, can you explain what fae-born means?" She asked quietly. Levy's brown eyes glittered with unconcealed excitement.

"They were these creatures long ago called the Fae. They were immortal and had very powerful magic, but they were a small race. Fae-born refers to those with fae blood, no matter how small. I'm a demi-fae, which means I'm not a full-blooded Fae. Those are rare these days. Master Makarov said you were a fae-born, and I'm inclined to agree with the features you have now," Levy explained, pointing to Lucy's new longer ears. Levy gave the blonde a sympathetic smile, the continued, "There are many creatures that exist in our world. Most can use magic, for example I have script magic. Cana is a witch, a human who has a great deal of magic power, and she has skills in the cards and fortunetelling. I'm sure you have some magic too, based on your aura."

"Aura?" Lucy inquired. She'd heard that word from Makarov and Cana, but she was not sure what they meant by it.

"Everyone has an aura. It's like a magic bubble that surrounds you and protects you. Aura's can tell you what someone is and what kind of magic they use. Most keep theirs glamoured. Yours is very shiny. It's like a golden light that surrounds you. There's flecks of some kind of white light in there too," Levy said, staring entranced at the air surrounding Lucy. The fae reached out and caressed the air, an enchanted look lighting her features. Lucy shifted uncomfortable, unsure of what to say.

"Why can't I see my aura?" She asked, knocking Levy from her dazed delirium. The girl blinked and shook her head, patting her cheeks to focus on Lucy's question.

"Oh, well nobody can see their own aura. It takes some training and focus to see others, but I'm sure we can teach you," Levy said with an apologetic turn of her lips, "But first we should try and conceal yours, it's very tempting."

Lucy looked down at the pale skin on her arms, noting the loss of a few freckles that once speckled her sun-kissed flesh. Her eyes prickled with hot tears, but Lucy forced her wild emotions deep down inside herself. She looked at Levy with curiosity in her gaze and asked, "How do you see them?"

Levy shrugged, her brows drawn up in pensive thought, "I'm not sure how to explain it. I just feel my magic focus on someone, and then their aura appears. Yours is very visible, I barely have to concentrate at all."

Lucy's brow tightened. She worried her bottom lip and closed her eyes as she focused on the familiar ache in her gut. She pushed deep within her soul, pulling and teasing at the strands of light that was her magic. The golden light seemed to relish in Lucy's ministrations, and she swore she could hear an earnest keen chiming inside her. The magic woke slowly, but when she felt it finally spread across her extremities, she gasped at the delectable and tantalizing warmth. Her brown eyes slowly blinked open, flecks of light shimmering in her iris, and her lips spread in a wide grin. The magic within her rejoiced at its freedom, dancing through her blood with unrestrained glee.

The blonde gasped in shock when she beheld the shine that now lit her skin. She was glowing like a firefly. Golden light radiated from her pores and lit the great guild hall. She stood, enraptured by the glimmer of her glowing skin. She smiled over at Levy, and her eyes went wide when she saw the gentle periwinkle floating liquid encasing the fae. Dark spots flickered within the gentle nature of Levy's aura. Lucy giggled. The light grew in intensity with each laugh that fell from her lips, and Levy soon had to hold up her palm to block the light.

"Lucy, be careful! You aren't used to your powers and you could get lost in them!" Levy warned, taking a few steps away from the pulsing light. But Lucy was already far too lost to heed her warning. The magic rippled on her skin and with each thrum of her heart the light became brighter. The laughter swelled within her, and she could no longer contain it. Her spirit bathed in her newfound rich power within her. As she delved deeper into the deep well of magic within her chest, the light started to burn the air. Lucy, lost in her ecstasy, did not notice how blinding she became. The magic was overtaking her senses, relishing in its freedom.

Levy stumbled away from Lucy with her hands covering her eyes. Shouts of alarm sounded throughout the guild as more people were awoken by the blinding starlight. Levy was curled under the bar now when Makarov crashed into the great hall, only to curse and cover his eyes.

"Damn, what is happening?" He cursed. He called out to Lucy, but along with the light came a scorching wave of heat. The guild master cursed again as the air surrounding Lucy burned. There was only one person he knew of that could withstand that kind of heat. A warm hand touched Makarov's shoulder, and the elder turned and felt his muscles relax when he saw Natsu standing next to him. He had an uncharacteristically stern expression, his lips drawn in a tight line.

"She's losing it, ain't she pops." He stated. Makarov grunted in agreement, his worry for the poor child he'd witnessed the night before increasing. In all his years, Makarov had never seen magic like hers. Natsu cracked his knuckles and sighed, "I've gotta do all the work around here."

"Oi! Luigi!" He called out as he ventured deeper into the waves of heat and starlight.

Lucy felt as though she was bathing in stardust. She could no longer feel where her body began or ended, only the tingling of the lustrous flaxen magic spreading in her veins. She could vaguely hear someone calling out, but the ancient power that was forced to hide for so many years overpowered her consciousness with a wave of crashing power and she was lost in the undertow.

"…igi!" A deep voice called, penetrating the layers of stardust encasing Lucy. The familiar voice resonated with her old self that had curled up deep in her subconscious after being overcome by the explosion of magic.

"Hey! Luigi!" The voice called again. Lucy felt her spirit return to her physical body, and the feeling of her fingers curling around the dancing waves of light surrounding her. She felt her toes curling on the floor, and felt each groove and crack in the wood. Her eyes blinked open slowly to see the blinding light pulsing from her body. Fear crawled down her spine, but it only served to heighten the intensity of the already sweltering air.

Lucy opened her mouth to yell out at Natsu and correct him, but her voice was caught in her throat. A choking croak crackled out of her and when Lucy finally saw the head of pink hair approaching her, she felt a wave of relief. Her respite was brief, however, as the memory of her locket crumbling to broken pieces and ash between the same hand that reached out for her flashed to the forefront of her mind. Red-hot anger flushed her cheeks and Lucy _felt_ a growl rumble in her chest. That primordial influence that still lingered in her body returned in full force, and the light and heat were sucked back into Lucy. The light no longer shone from outside her body and now coiled under her skin and cast an eerie glow. Lucy heard someone shout in relief as the light and heat faded, but she knew something worse was coming. She could felt an ominous feral instinct pushing against her consciousness, and Lucy did not want to find out what it wanted.

"Natsu, stay back!" She warned, wincing as her magic thrashed under her skin, pressing against her will. She swore and tried to focus on restraining her wild rage.

Natsu paused when he saw cords of concentrated magic pulsing underneath Lucy's skin. His draconic instincts wanted him to turn back and run as far as he could. When Lucy's eyes met his, he saw her glorious brown eyes consumed by her fury and that moment was when he realized he fucked up. He should have known that destroying her necklace would come back and bite him in the ass.

"Luce, I know you're in there," He said slowly as he took a cautious step forwards. He felt Makarov's magic emanate from behind him, and Natsu knew he was running out of time. The old man would not take any risks when it came to protecting his family, his guild. He knew that despite what sympathy Makarov felt for the newcomer, he would destroy her in an instant if she became a threat.

Waves of Makarov's magic crashed against Lucy's as the guild master tested the strength of her aura. He withdrew his investigative tendrils when he felt the truth of Lucy's outburst. She was drowning in the unused potential, and the magic spreading through the guild was not malicious in nature but curious. When he realized that she was not attacking his family but exploring her new powers, the master focused on shielding the rest of the guild from her aura instead of preparing to attack.

Natsu took Makarov's retreat as a sign to continue his advance on the brilliantly bright fae. Flecks of white dust mixed in with the light the closer he got to Lucy's glowing form. Her magic wrapped around him and sent a blissful prickle through his body.

Lucy looked over at Natsu again, the rage flickering in and out of her irises. Natsu couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his lips at the exhilaration flowing through him. Besides the fear from Lucy's unrestrained anger directed towards him, her magic stirred an odd feeling of excitement in everyone it touched.

"I said, stay back!" Lucy yelled forcefully, a wave of magic lashing out at the approaching man. Despite her warnings, Natsu kept advancing, wincing when the threads of her magic whipped against his skin.

"Ya know, Luigi, you kinda look like one of those human glow sticks," Natsu joked with a smirk. Lucy felt a twinge of indignation pierce through her rage.

"A what?" She exclaimed. She looked over at one of the mirrors behind the bar, and her mouth fell open. He was right, she did look like a glow stick. A giggle bubbled from her lips, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Natsu's smile widen.

"I'm right, ain't I?" He teased. He was only a few feet away now, and Lucy glanced over at him, fear still dampening her glittering eyes. She could feel her magic subsiding slowly, but she still feared for the kind pink-haired mage.

"Natsu, I'm scared," She finally confessed, the light within her flickering. She could feel her magic purring and calling out to her again. Natsu looked at her, not with pity, but understanding. He was even closer now, so close Lucy could reach out and touch him if she wanted.

"It's okay, Luce. I gotcha," He whispered, slowly opening his arms and nodding for her to move. Lucy uncurled her arms from around her waist and hesitantly stepped into Natsu's embrace. Her skin flashed when he wrapped his body around her, like a warm blanket, but the glow started to fade after a few moments. She felt her breath shudder out of her, and she cautiously wrapped her arms around Natsu's waist. She gasped for breath and felt her strength evaporate as the magic coiled back into a ball within her chest. Natsu held up her aching body, muttering comforts in her ear. Lucy had never felt so drained of energy before.

After a moment of leaning on Natsu's strength, Lucy pushed away from him and stumbled onto one of the chairs. Guilt washed over her, and she gave Levy an apologetic glance. She felt her face flush with embarrassment when she noticed other guild members glaring at her and grumbling about being so rudely awakened. She could _feel_ the fearful gazes from the onlookers. She lowered her head as guilt mixed in with the shame and fear she felt.

"Well, now that's over with, let's find out what the hell just happened." Makarov stated with a clap of his hands. Those who were woken by Lucy's magical outburst grumbled and returned into the depths of the guild hall until only Levy, Makarov, and Natsu remained.

"Um, did I miss anything?" Mirajane asked as she poked her head out of the kitchen. Lucy let out a rough bark of laughter, "Yea, a bit."

Mirajane only shrugged, and brought out a tray of various breakfast foods. Lucy's mouth watered at the sight of the scrumptious looking scrambled eggs and the buttery toast placed before her. Mirajane kept placing delicious plates piled high with food, like various types of sausage and eggs. A plate of mouth-watering buttered croissants had Lucy practically melting with anticipation. She'd never been this hungry in her entire life. Natsu sat down across from Lucy, his hands reaching out for the piles of food before them only to get swatted away by Mirajane.

"No, this isn't for you. Lucy just spent all her energy in that outburst, and she needs to replenish. _You_ can wait your turn," She said sternly. Mirajane looked at Lucy with sympathy, as though she knew how scared Lucy felt, before returning to the kitchen. Natsu pouted but listened to the woman and kept his hands to himself. Lucy smirked, and dove into her meal, stuffing as much food as she could into her watering mouth. She moaned in pleasure when the soft bread melted on her tongue and she felt Natsu's jealousy coarse over her. Lucy smirked over at him, laughing to herself when he pouted and looked away.

When Lucy finally stopped stuffing her face, Makarov and Levy pulled up and sat at the table. Lucy swallowed thickly and was about to apologize when Makarov held up a hand and gave her a gentle smile.

"My dear, do not worry. Considering how long your magic has been pent up, that outburst is understandable," He said. Lucy still felt ashamed of how she lost control.

"Hey Master, do you know what kind of magic that was?" Levy asked, distracting the blonde from the dark path her thoughts wandered down. Lucy could almost see the gears turning in the demi-fae's head.

"I have no earthly idea. It was almost like raw magick, but I felt something else. It was more, celestial," He said with a shrug. Lucy bit her lip and asked, "Does this mean I'm not fae-born?"

"You definitely have some fae blood, but there's something strange mixed in there," Levy answered, "I've never read about magic that shines from someone like that."

"Great, not only am I not human, I'm something weird," Lucy mumbled. She sat back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair with a frustrated groan. All her lingering doubts about the supernatural disappeared after she felt her magic explode. She was beginning to accept her new existence and the fact that magic and magical creatures were real.

"I once met a woman who had a similar aura, but she died long ago," Makarov mused, curling his white moustache in his fingers. A curious look entered his eyes, and he stared down at Lucy for a moment before smiling and jumping up. He ran over to the bar and pulled a box out from a hidden panel behind the various bottles lining the walls.

"She did leave this, however, and it's very similar to your magic," He explained as he dropped the heavy box onto the table. Lucy jumped when the iron clanged against the wood. The iron seemed to repel her magic and Levy cursed and moved away from the metal. Lucy leaned forwards and her head tilted in confusion when she observed that the box had no visible seams. She was about to ask Makarov what he was talking about when the old man closed his eyes and karate-chopped the box with a wild yell. The box shuddered, then burst open from the sides. A smaller box made of golden metal rested within the pieces. Lucy felt her magic being drawn in to the box and she reached out to touch the cold metal. Her breath left with a gasp when her skin brushed the box. She felt a melancholy yearning emanating from the box as she picked it up.

Natsu and the others looked on quietly. They could feel the magic curling between Lucy and the mysterious container and knew not to disturb her.

Lucy ran a finger over the filigree etched in the metal, her fingers running across the constellations decorating the surface. _Leo,_ the box whispered. The blonde felt her magic beckoning, and she cautiously reached out and allowed a small stream of magic to flow down her arm and into the hand that held the box. Once her magic reached the box, she felt the metal hum and the carvings started to glow. Lucy held her breath as the light intensified and the metal started to morph and shrink. When the light faded, a golden key that was a large as her hand rested in her palm. The top of the key looked like a rippling lion's mane, and she recognized the astrological symbol for Leo engraved into the surface.

"Leo," She whispered. The key pulsed with heat when she spoke, and Lucy smiled. She felt her magic thud with her pulse and spread into the key, as if the metal was absorbing her excess magic she couldn't control. She looked up, and the smile melted when she saw the incredulous looks on the other's faces. Natsu was the only one that looked intrigued.

"Um, so that just happened?" Lucy said, hoping that Makarov or Levy would have an explanation for what just happened. Instead, Makarov just said, "How interesting."

The key seemed to call out to her, asking her to do something she couldn't quite catch. She swore she heard the word _summon_ echo in the guild hall, but no one else seemed to hear the quiet whispering voices.

"That was cool!" Natsu exclaimed with a giddy laugh. Lucy felt a smile tug at her lips at his childish reaction. At least someone was excited, she thought.

"Levy, do you think you could go research magical keys?" Makarov asked. The guild master concentrated on the key, and felt Lucy's magic being absorbed by the magical item. He was sure that Levy had witnessed the strange relationship between the blonde and the key as well. The fae nodded, and hurried off down the stairs and into the basement with a dazed expression. Lucy heard her mumbling about books and where she should start, and she knew that Levy could become a close friend with their shared love for reading.

"What do I do?" Lucy asked, her fingers curling around the key protectively. She felt a fierce instinct to safeguard the key.

"Lucy, would you be interested in staying with us until we can figure out what kind of magic you have, and to help you learn control?" Makarov asked. The guild master decided he would rather have Lucy nearby to keep an eye on her and her bizarre magic. Lucy nodded eagerly. She knew now that Fairy Tail was the right place for her to be, despite her earlier suspicions.

"Good, Natsu can help you get settled," the old man said. He stood and stretched, telling Lucy to keep the key close before he meandered away and into what she assumed was his office. Lucy's shoulders fell and she let loose a heavy sigh. The golden key thrummed warmly in her palm. Natsu yawned, revealing long, sharp canines, and folded his arms behind his head.

"I gotta tell ya, Luigi, you sure know how to wake a fella up," He groaned.

"My name is _Lucy,_ " she snapped. Natsu just smirked. Lucy shot him an annoyed glare and huffed. Her nose crinkled and she took a deep breath before saying, "I never thanked you for helping me earlier, and for saving my life last night, so thanks."

She avoided his gaze and instead focused on the grooves of the wooden table. She felt Natsu lean forwards and Lucy jutted out her chin when she met his gaze.

"It's the least I could do. I'm sorry for breaking that locket of yours," He said with a nervous chuckle. Lucy shrugged. Looking back, Natsu crushing that infernal necklace was probably for the best. Even though it served as a reminder of her mother, it was just a necklace. A cursed one, apparently. Besides, with the power running through her she felt better than ever before. Magic was _real_. All her problems- like assignments and work- seemed superficial now.

"If you don't mind me asking, _what_ are you?" She asked, wincing at the awkward phrasing of her question. If memory served her right, Natsu had a type of fire magic. Natsu just waved away her concerns and answered, "I'm a fire drakon."

When Lucy tilted her head, and raised a brow, Natsu shifted in his seat and said, "I was raised by a dragon, Igneel and he taught me fire-dragon magic."

"A dragon. They're real?" Lucy exclaimed with wide eyes. Natsu chuckled and nodded, but a somber look clouded his eyes.

"Yup, at least they used to. Nobody's seen one in a long time," He said. Lucy reached out and placed her hand on his, still surprised at the warmth of his skin, and said, "I'm sorry."

Natsu shrugged. He grabbed one of the few croissants remaining on the table and tossed it into his mouth. He told Lucy about his search for Igneel, his father and that he had no luck so far, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. Lucy smiled softly, her emotions wracking together inside her. Her father, he must not be human if he was truly her father. The thought made her question her entire childhood. She wondered if she should seek out her father and see if he could answer the question of what she was, but memories of his abuse had her leaning more towards discovering her identity on her own.

"I'm sure Levy'll find something," He said, as though he could read her thoughts. Lucy bit her bottom lip. She pocketed the key in the front pocket of her jeans. Wait, but these were not her jeans, she realized. She cursed, drawing a curious look from Natsu, and asked, "Do you think I can run to my house and grab some things?"

Natsu shrugged, saying he couldn't see why not. He wolfed down the rest of the food and announced that he would join her. His protective instinct was tangible, and Lucy felt a wave of relief.

The blonde decided to run upstairs and grab her bag and use the restroom before they left, leaving Natsu sitting at the table alone in the empty dining hall. The moment she closed her door behind her, Lucy's knees gave out and she collapsed against the carpeted floor. Now that she was alone, her feelings came tumbling past the wall she had been holding up ever since her magic exploded. Tears pricked her eyes and sobs wracked her body. The shudders subsided after a few moments until only her hands quivered. She reached out and smashed a fist against the floor with an angered grunt. The carpet dented and her fist left a small dip in the floor. Lucy felt her panic rising again and she tried to contain the panic attack she could feel approaching. She may have accepted that she was not human and that magic existed, but embracing her new appearance and power was a much higher mountain to climb.

When Lucy calmed down enough to return downstairs, Natsu was no longer alone. A scarlet-haired woman stood with her armored arms crossed over her chest, and a dark-haired shirt-less man sat next to Natsu. Both turned and faced Lucy as she approached, and Lucy felt another wave of unease.

"Um, hi," She stuttered, adjusting the straps of her backpack on her shoulders. Natsu jumped up and gave her a bright smile that soothed her nerves.

"I'm Erza Scarlet," The armor wearing woman said, extending a hand for Lucy to shake. Lucy smiled and shook the woman's hand, schooling her pained expression into a cheerful one when the woman squeezed Lucy's hand. The man grumbled and coldly introduced himself as Gray. While Natsu exuded warmth, Gray leaked cold. Lucy assumed he had ice magic, if the frigid air surrounding him was any indication. Erza was harder to read. She had no idea what kind of magic Erza wielded but Lucy could tell the woman possessed an immense strength.

"It's nice to meet you both, I'm Lucy." She said with a bright smile. She could feel the tension in the air as the two mages warily looked her over. No doubt they had seen her outburst earlier. Lucy knew their mistrust was warranted, but it still stung.

"Alright! Let's get a move on, the old man said we're good to go," Natsu chirped. Lucy's fingers dipped into her pocket to touch the cool refreshing metal of the key. Its presence soothed her nerves. Lucy followed Natsu to the grand double doors at the front of the guild hall, and felt the other mages behind her.

"You don't mind if these two join in, do ya, Luce?" Natsu asked. Lucy shook her head and said, "I don't mind."

"Awesome! Don't listen to Gray though, he's an ass," Natsu said, glaring over at the ice mage.

"Like you're one to talk, flame-brain," Gray retorted. The two glared at each other and both drew back their fists and were about to start fighting when Erza stepped between them and cleared her throat, sending the two in opposite directions. Lucy giggled at their interactions. She could tell that they had known each other from a young age.

"Wait, where is this place? How are we going to get to my apartment?" Lucy asked. Gray just smirked, and Natsu gave her a wicked grin. Even Erza appeared amused. Lucy stopped and was tempted to run back to her new bedroom rather than face the two devious looking men before her.

"Oh, don't worry. We have magic," Natsu said with a devilish smile. Lucy felt a trickle of anticipation tingle down her spine at the devious twist of Natsu's lips. The drakon grabbed Lucy by the hand and pulled her towards the intricate doors, Erza and Gray on their heels.

"Is it still programmed from last night?" Erza asked and Natsu hummed in affirmation. Lucy felt even more confused. Programmed?

"Um, how are we going to get to my apartment?" She asked hesitantly. They were standing before the grand doors now, and Lucy could feel the electric current from the doors raising the hair on her arms. When Natsu touched his palm to one of the doors, the wood shook and crackled with electricity. Lucy gasped when the wooden doors started to fade away. White light shone through the doorway, and Natsu whooped and pushed Lucy through the white light.

She stumbled, her feet tripping on the uneven concrete. Lucy fell forwards and she reached out and grabbed onto the wall in front of her to keep her balance. A wave of nausea climbed up from her gut and she gagged. Her entire body was tingling and she saw small white sparks bouncing off her skin and clothes. She felt like she had just fell from a cliff and into the hard, unforgiving water below.

When the overwhelming discomfort passed, Lucy looked around to take stock of her surroundings. Her breath caught in her throat when she recognized the slimy brick walls of the alley she had been cornered and attacked in. The dented bricks where the demon had thrown her was still there.

She heard the others crashing through the portal, but when she looked over the bricks of the wall were already growing back over the magical portal. Natsu stretched his arms and swore. "Man, I'll never get used to that."

"Um, what the fuck just happened?" Lucy exclaimed, her voice cracking. The Fairy Tail mages gave her a blank look. Lucy glared over at Natsu and waved her arms wildly at the scene around her.

"Why are we back _here?"_ She demanded. Natsu had the decency to look somewhat uneasy as he said, "This was the last place the portal opened, so this is where it took us."

Lucy just gaped. Magical portal. Sure, why not. She mumbled incoherently under her breath as she started to stalk out of the alleyway and towards her apartment.

"Oi, Luce! Where ya going? Wait for me." Natsu called. He hurried after the blonde, who had already disappeared around the corner. Erza walked over to the dented brick and touched her fingers to the cracks, her brow furrowed.

"You gonna follow them?" Gray asked. The red head shook her head, "I'm going to go find some answers."

Gray sighed as she bounded up the side of the building and disappeared on the rooftops. He turned and followed after Natsu and Lucy, determined to keep his family safe.

 **Uploading a day early? Already? I hope I can keep this trend going...**

 **Woah, updating a day early? Already? I hope I can keep this trend going...**

 **Please let me know what you think about this chapter! I hope it was not too boring, gotta get through some of the exposition.**

 **Reviews help keep me motivated! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter Three

Erza bounded across the rooftops of Hargeon, making sure to keep her presence glamour with a special type of armor from her collection. She picked up the trail of the demons that had attacked the blonde girl and was now following it back to their dark guild. She stopped on the edge of a roof, pausing as she gazed down at a shabby bar hidden on the outskirts of the town. She peered past the glamour covering the bar and smiled when she saw demons and black mages mingling inside the building. A glow encompassed her body as she reequipped into a powerful battle armor and summoned a large sword into her right hand. Her smile widened when the attention of the dark guild turned to her and she leapt off the roof and into battle with a wild cry.

Lucy stood frozen before her door. She knew her behavior was ridiculous, it was _just_ a door. Despite this fact, her heart mourned what the apartment used to represent, when she was human. She scoffed at the thought, she had never been human and that was the saddest thing of all. Her entire life had been a lie.

"Is this it?" Natsu asked, leaning over her shoulder to peer into the peep-hole as though he could see into the apartment. Lucy cleared her throat and nodded, pushing aside her depressing thoughts and unlocking the door. She stepped into the entryway, her gaze scanning over the familiar furniture. To her left was a small table where she usually put her keys, and on her right, was the tiny kitchen she considered herself lucky to have. There was a couch sitting across from a small flat-screen past the kitchen, and a hallway that led to her bathroom and bedroom. She knew the scenery and she had been standing in this very spot only one day ago, but it felt like she'd been gone for weeks or months, not mere hours.

"Ooh! D'ya got any good stuff in here?" Natsu asked with child-like excitement as he rushed over to her fridge and started to dig around for food. Lucy felt a small smile cross her lips, and she rolled her eyes. She ignored the man in her kitchen and instead went to gather some clothes and her toiletries in a suitcase to take back to the guild. She changed out of Mirajane's clothes, making sure to transfer the magical key to her new pants pocket before tossing the borrowed pair into her bag to return.

Lucy stared blankly at the empty drawers and hangers. She couldn't help but wonder how her life had come to this, abandoning the life she earned all on her own. A life that had been a lie. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror hanging on her closet door, and her breath escaped her.

The visage she saw in the glass was not one she recognized as her own. She could not see her soul in the ethereal body she now possessed, her humanity was lost to her. Lucy shook her head to clear away her thoughts and packed her phone charger before grabbing the duffel and leaving. The click of her bedroom door shutting was eerily binding, and Lucy felt an irrevocable premonition that this would be the last time she saw the familiar walls of her bedroom.

When she returned to the kitchen, both Gray and Natsu were sitting on her modest dining table with bored expressions. Lucy adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

"Um, I'm done now so we can leave," She said. Natsu gave her a small smile and Gray just huffed. "Why don't ya have any good food, Lucy?"

"Some of us have to pay for school," She retorted. Her eyes widened and a curse fell from her lips. Work. School. She had responsibilities to attend to. Today was her only day off for the week, but she'd have to call in. She did not think it was a wise idea to go to work, or school, where some people knew her. They'd see the difference in her appearance immediately. Her despair returned with a vengeance, and Lucy tried to keep the two mages standing in her apartment from seeing her deteriorating emotional state.

"I don't know what I'll do about work and school now," She muttered to herself.

"Don't worry, just come work at Fairy Tail. You'd be fine," Natsu said nonchalantly. Gray shot the drakon a glare, but kept quiet. Lucy bit her lip. She would ask Makarov about it when they got back, she supposed. She was about to tell the two to get off her table when she realized they were missing a scarlet-haired woman. "Where's Erza?"

"Oh, she went after the dark guild that attacked you. They shouldn't even be this far into town anyway," Gray explained.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Lucy asked, worried about the woman. Gray and Natsu scoffed, and Gray answered, "She's one of the strongest S-Class mages in Fairy Tail, a little dark guild is nothing to her."

Lucy told herself to thank Erza when she saw her next before shepherding the two men out of her apartment. She took a moment to ingrain her home into her memory, taking note of the tears on the sofa to the peeling wallpaper. It had been her first real home, despite its many flaws.

"Oi, what's takin' so long?" Natsu complained. Lucy rolled her eyes, but turned away from her home and joined Natsu and Gray on the path to Fairy Tail.

Lucy was still panting and groaning on her spot at the bar of Fairy Tail for a few minutes after passing through the portal. Her bag was lying at her feet, and Mirajane was kind enough to bring her a glass of water and some crackers.

"Do you guys always use that thing to get around?" She asked the barmaid. Mirajane smiled and said, "Oh no, it is usually used for long distance travel, or for Natsu since he can't handle public transportation."

"Then where is this place?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, the physical building is in Magnolia, but it is heavily guarded and glamoured by powerful magic. No human or unwanted person could easily find this place." Mira answered. Lucy's eyes brightened.

"I've always wanted to visit Magnolia, but I had school in Hargeon, and it's too expensive to live on your own and be a student in such a big city as Magnolia," Lucy chirped. She'd ask if she could go sightseeing soon, that way she at least had something to do with her newfound free time. Her phone lit up on the counter and captured the blonde's attention. She eagerly picked up the charging device, happy it finally decided to turn back on. Her smile dampened when she saw no new messages or calls. Nobody had missed her. She'd been attacked and had disappeared but no one noticed. She excused herself to her room, grabbing her bag and phone cord.

Mira gazed up at the distraught blonde with concern in her eyes and turned to face the Master. He was speaking with Erza, who had come through the portal minutes after Lucy, and from what she could tell Erza had taken down a dark guild involved in Lucy's attack. The barmaid busied herself with prepping for the lunch rush to distract from her concern for Lucy.

Lucy stared out at the boisterous guild with a smile. She'd come down for dinner after moping in her room for a few hours until her stomach begged her to go eat. So, Lucy showered and got dressed, determined to make the most of her situation. The time for mourning her human life had passed, and she had to get to work learning about Fairy Tail and her new powers. Mira was kind enough to offer her a plate when she took a seat at one of the barstools, declaring it officially on her tab. When Lucy had trouble contacting her manager or her professors, Mira explained that the magic wards around the guild interfered with technology, and she'd have to leave in order to make any calls.

"Lucy, do you mind if I join you?" Levy asked, taking a seat next to the blonde, her arms full of ancient looking books. Lucy rushed to help her with the towering stack, "Go right ahead, and if you don't mind me asking, what's with the books?"

"Oh, well I finally found some references to magical keys and some ancient dialects of Fiorean gave me some clues to what kind of magic you have," Levy explained. She set out the books into different stacks and Lucy reached out to start reading the one closest to her when Levy smacked her hand away.

"Sorry! These books are pretty old and fragile, plus it's easier if I just try to translate everything for you," Levy said with an apologetic smile. Lucy nodded, understanding the fae woman's motives.

"Ah, Levy, I see you managed to find something after all, wonderful!" Makarov exclaimed, appearing seemingly out of nowhere and startling Lucy, who let out a panicked squeal at his appearance.

"Yes, Master. I believe I figured out the mystery of our newcomer's magic," Levy said, hiding her smile behind her hand. Lucy felt her cheeks flush. Makarov only grinned down at her before staring at Levy expectantly.

"I found many references to magical keys, so I tried to use Lucy's aura qualities as a filter, and found in this book," She moved one of the thicker tomes towards Lucy, "that referenced something called Celestial magic. From what I could understand, there used to be mages that could channel the power of the heavens through these keys and summon the spirits of the stars. That's when I remembered reading an old Pergrande Magic Council manuscript that mentioned this type of magic."

Lucy reached into her pocket and pulled out the key, her curiosity growing. Levy picked up another, slightly smaller, leather-bound notebook and handed it to Lucy. "This one you can look through. It references a special bloodline that was capable of summoning the spirits and mentioned other spells and magics, but they stopped their research after that."

Lucy brushed her fingers through the thick pages of the manuscript, telling herself to read it later tonight away from the prying eyes of the guild. She could feel their gazes already, and suspected some were listening in on their conversation.

"Interesting, thank you Levy. Lucy, do you think you can figure out if this key is one that can summon this spirit?" Makarov asked, twirling his mustache between his fingers. Lucy shrugged, holding the key out in front of her as if something magic would just happen if she willed it.

"I mean, I feel it pulling at my magic, I think, and I think it _wants_ me to call it. The thing is, I don't really know exactly what to do or how to do it," She stammered. Makarov started speaking again, asking Levy if in her research, she found any references to how to summon these spirits, but Lucy stopped listening. The sounds of the guild faded in the background, as though she was underwater and everyone else was outside calling to her. The key whispered in her mind, and Lucy tried to reach down for her magic again.

The golden threads within her started to sing, and for once Lucy could understand their song:

 _…Leo…open the gate…_

Lucy stood, drawing the attention of Levy and Makarov, and held the key out in front of her. She pulled at the strings of her magic, coaxing the light and pushing them into the key and chanted, "Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

A blinding light filled the hall, and Lucy felt her magic bottom out as the key opened a gate. The light faded, and she gaped at the man standing before her outstretched hand. He was wearing a formal black suit, and had tinted sunglasses that hid his piercing green eyes. His ginger hair stuck out stylishly and she swore it appeared to form ears at the top of his head. The man smirked, and bowed.

"It's about goddamn time you figured it out," He said. Levy, and everyone else in the guild, gaped at Lucy and the stranger that had somehow appeared in the middle of their guild past the wards and spells. Makarov prepared his magic for battle, but stopped when the man leapt forwards to grab Lucy in a fierce embrace.

"Oh, how I've missed you, Princess," He crooned, nuzzling his head in her hair. Lucy stood frozen. In the back of her mind, she vaguely remembered seeing this man before, but it was stuck behind some invisible barrier just out of her reach.

"Um, do I know you?" She asked, hesitantly reaching up to return his hug. She patted him on the back, then pulled away.

"Why of course you do! I'm Leo, I've known you since you were this big," He lowered his hand to below his knee, "We all have been waiting a very long time for you to find us."

Lucy wavered on her feet as a sudden wave of exhaustion swept through her. She stumbled onto a barstool and was promptly joined by Leo, who looked at her with worry.

"Maybe we should talk another time, you've never summoned a spirit before, let alone a Zodiac," He said gently, grasping her palm within his and stroking the back of her hand affectionately.

"Excuse me, but I am the master of this guild and I believe we are due an explanation," Makarov interrupted. Behind him, Natsu and Erza stood in fighting stances, ready to defend their family. The master waved them off, but it was of no use. This man had slipped through the carefully crafted and near impervious wards around the guild and they would take no chances.

"Allow me to explain," Leo said, straightening his tie, "I am Leo, leader of the Twelve Zodiacs and the Celestial Spirits. Lucy is a Celestial Spirit mage, and she has the power to summon us from our realm to aid her in whatever way she wishes. We require only a contract in exchange for our power."

Lucy furrowed her brow, and was about to launch into a barrage of questions when Leo continued, "She's been cursed and her memories of us are blocked, but once we get that removed she should know more about what she is capable of."

"My memories?" She asked, summoning her strength and pushing away from the barstool to stand beside Leo. The lion spirit smiled at her, "Your mother wanted you to know from the beginning, but after her death we couldn't stop your father from taking us away from you and placing you under that curse that hid your true identity. I have much to explain, and I'm sure you have many questions, but summoning me so soon is too much for you now. You should close my gate and summon me in the morning so I can answer your questions." He said before leaning down to kiss her palm and disappearing in another flash of light. The tense atmosphere in the guild lessened when the man disappeared. Erza approached the master, who was staring at the place Leo had been standing pensively. Lucy took a few deep breaths, ignoring the stares from those around her. Even Levy's gaze had a tinge of fear residing within it.

"Woah, I think I need to sit down," Lucy stuttered as she stumbled back. The moment Leo disappeared, the drain on her energy stopped but it had been too late. Her energy was nearly depleted after her outburst that morning plus the drain from summoning Leo, which she was still a bit confused about. There was a cold emptiness in her heart, where the golden light of her magic had been and Lucy felt goosebumps dot her flesh and shivers wrack her body. Black spots dotted her vision and Lucy tried to call out for help but could not find the energy. Her body gave out and collapsed in a heap on the floor, drawing the attention of the guild master and those standing closest to him.

There was a flash of pink, then Natsu appeared at her side along with Levy. "Hey Luigi, don't go passing out on me again," He teased. She felt a hot hand on her shoulder, and the air around them warmed until Lucy felt like she was wrapped in a comfortable cocoon of warmth. The shivers coursing through her subsided, and the cold absence of her magic dissolved when a trickle of heat filled the empty space inside her heart. She blinked away the black spots in her vision and slowly tried to sit up.

"Lucy, you should rest-" Levy began, only to have the blonde wave away her concerns. There was a commotion, then a timid voice called through the crowd of people gathered around Lucy until a small girl with vibrant sapphire colored hair pushed past a worried Mira and the giant man from before, who was praising Lucy for her "manliness."

"Um, excuse me, I'm Wendy. Wendy Marvell," The girl stuttered, kneeling beside Natsu at Lucy's shoulder.

"I'm Lucy Hea- just Lucy." She said, cursing the slip of her tongue. She felt so safe at Fairy Tail she almost forgot to use the fake surname she'd had for the past year. She felt Natsu's hot gaze on her, and he undoubtedly noticed her mistake. She glanced over at Makarov, who was giving her an expectant look as he dispersed the crowd.

"Let me take a look at you," Wendy mumbled as she held her hands out above Lucy's chest. Lucy gasped when the girl's hands started to glow with a soft blue light and a breath of fresh air blew through her body. "Don't worry, I'm a Sky Drakon and I can use healing magic," Wendy explained. She seemed more confident now that she was using her magic and healing Lucy's exhaustion.

"You'll be alright, just used up your magic stores too fast." Wendy announced after a few moments. Lucy wrinkled her brow and asked, "Magic depletion?"

"Oh, I forgot you're new to this kind of thing," Wendy said sheepishly, "it just means your magic was used up too fast, and now you are kind of like a dead battery. You just need to rest and recharge."

Lucy nodded in understanding. She pushed off the floor, stumbling over to a stool when a wave of dizziness hit her. Levy appeared at her elbow, prepared to catch her should she faint again, and Erza ordered the eavesdropping mages to go back to minding their own business.

"I'm fine," Lucy muttered, drawing a huff from Natsu who was still standing nearby. Wendy gave her a curious look before hopping onto the seat on Lucy's right. "That's the weird thing. From what I could see and given what magic you used up today, you should have been knocked out cold but I could sense a droplet of someone else's magic energy helping to replenish your stores," she trailed off, staring over at the fidgety pink-haired drakon standing off to the side.

"Lucy, are you sure you're okay?" Ley asked, resting a comforting hand on her arm.

"I'm fine, just tired," She answered. Lucy didn't mention the pounding in her head, or the lingering warmth dancing in her heart. She stole a glance at Natsu, who was rubbing the back of his head nervously as Makarov glared at him. The old man huffed, then walked over to Lucy.

"My dear, you should get some rest and we can talk more when you've recovered," Makarov said. His stare pierced through her façade and Lucy sensed his suggestion was not a mere request.

When Lucy returned downstairs that evening, after a long and much needed nap, the guild was back with its boisterous atmosphere from the night she first arrived. More people and creatures mingled amongst the tavern, and Lucy felt a trickle of trepidation as she walked back over to the barstool she decided to claim as her own, given the fact it was the same one she'd been perched on since she arrived. She heard Cana bellowing out a challenge of a drinking contest to anyone nearby and saw Mira standing with another, younger, white-haired woman who had the same blue eyes as the barmaid.

Natsu suddenly hopped onto the seat beside the blonde with a bright greeting. He called for Mira to get him some food, then turned his attention back to Lucy, "Hey, how ya feelin?"

"Better now that I got some sleep," She answered.

"Oh, Lucy! Glad to see you back down here," Mira chirped, placing a mountain of food in front of an eager Natsu. Lucy watched in mildly disgusted awe as he began stuffing his maw with food.

"Thanks, Mirajane. I'm still pretty confused," She admitted. She shrieked when a splatter of half-chewed food smacked her cheek.

"Natsu! Watch it!" she snapped. Natsu ignored her complaints and continued eating. Mira giggled, "Don't worry about Natsu, he's a little dense. Master asked me to show you to his office whenever you woke, so if you don't mind, could you follow me?"

Mira led Lucy to a door near the staircase, giving her an encouraging smile before returning to her post at the bar. Lucy swallowed nervously and hesitantly knocked on the door. She quietly entered when she heard Makarov's voice call her in. The office was small, but filled to the brim with folders and papers.

"I'm glad you see you're up," Makarov stated, gesturing for her to sit at one of the two chairs in front of his oversized desk. "I wanted to ask if you had any interest in joining our guild," When Lucy looked confused, Makarov continued, "Centuries ago, when humans knew of magic, the Magic Council was created to deal with the wars and genocides creatures like us faced at the hands of humanity. When they decided to separate the magical world from humanity's knowledge, organizations known as guilds were formed to protect creatures and mages and grant them a home and family. We provide work and protection for creatures like you and me."

Lucy bit her lip. Her mind flashed back to Leo's words, and Lucy's gaze hardened as she made her decision. "I'll join Fairy Tail. You all have been so kind to me, and I can't go back to my old life as I am now." Makarov smiled at her response, and brought out a stack of papers for them to go through.

"Now, I don't know why you left your home in Crocus, or why you will not say your true name, but here at Fairy Tail things like that do not matter. You are family now," He said when she handed back the forms.

"I'd appreciate it if you called me Lucy Ashley for now. I don't want to go back," She said quietly. Her true identity, Lucy Heartfilia, had to stay in the past. If the wrong people found out…well Lucy did not want to think about what could happen. Thankfully, Makarov agreed with her request, understanding in his dark eyes.

It was almost midnight when Lucy finally exited the guild master's office. She walked over to Mira, taking a seat on the same stool, and asked about getting her guild stamp and possibly something to eat.

"Wonderful! I was hoping Master would ask you to join, I think we could become great friends," Levy exclaimed, having overheard Lucy's conversation with Mira.

"Alright Lucy, what color and where do you want it?" Mira asked when she emerged with a plate of food and a large stamp. Lucy hummed in thought. She glanced over at Natsu, who was causing a ruckus with a shirtless man across the dining hall. She saw the stamp on his shoulder, and on the man's chest. She turned back to Mira, held out her right hand, and told her what color. The stamp was cold against her hand, but she felt no pain as the guild mark appeared on her hand. Lucy silently wondered what kind of magic allowed the mark to stay like a tattoo but have no pain.

"Hey Natsu," Lucy called, drawing the attention of the drakon. She held out her hand, proudly displaying the pink mark and said, "I'm a part of Fairy Tail now, isn't that cool!"

Natsu scoffed and rolled his eyes before returning to his fight with the other man. Lucy pouted and angrily bit into the sandwich Mira had brought.

"I think it's cool," Levy laughed. Lucy shot her a thankful smile, and quickly munched down the food Mira made. She stayed downstairs and talked more with Levy about the guild and magic, and learned that the demi-fae specialized in Script magic. Levy even offered to lend Lucy a book on the different classes of creatures and magic before the tired blonde returned up to her room.

She collapsed on her bed, not bothering to change or put away her belongings before giving in to sleep again. She knew she'd have a busy and frustrating day tomorrow. Lucy would have to leave the wards to call the café she worked at and tell them she was quitting, and go to the school to take a leave of absence for a few semesters, if not permanently. Not only did she have to abandon her life, for the second time in her life so far, but she'd have to try and find somewhere to live in Magnolia. Lucy couldn't live in the guild forever, and she figured it would be a good idea to get her own place outside the magic barrier of the guild. And she had this new spirit, Leo, to worry about.

But Lucy pushed all her stress to the side and focused on sleeping, leaving her problems to tomorrow.

 **So sorry! I know I'm a day or two late, but life gets in the way sometimes! I know this chapter is a little boring, but gotta get through that exposition! I promise it'll start picking up now. I've decided to have my update days be either Fridays or Saturdays, depending on what life threw at me that week. SO keep an eye out on those two days for an update!**

 **Loke and Wendy have been introduced! Yay! Let's see what happens next, shall we...**

 **I want to sincerely thank all of those who have reviewed, it really is a great motivator! I hope y'all like it, and let's see if I can get 10 more reviews before next week, we can do it!**


	4. Chapter Four

A crowd of eager onlookers gathered around Lucy as she pulled out the golden key and held it out, ready to summon Leo again. She felt her magic swirling within her, and knew she could handle summoning the spirit, at least for a little bit. Hopefully, he would remove the block on her memory today.

"Alright everyone, take a few steps back, give the girl some room," Gray said, pushing back the mages as he sent Lucy a wink. Lucy rolled her eyes. She'd met him earlier that morning, when she was eating a piece of toast for her breakfast. He'd introduced himself and then promptly threw his shirt off, continuing as if nothing was wrong and caused Lucy to choke on the warm bread in her mouth. Luckily, Erza was around and she wacked Gray upside the head and told him to stop stripping with a dark glare.

"He has a stripping habit, says it was a part of his training but I think he's just a pervert," Natsu had whispered in her ear. Lucy shrieked and hit him in the face. She yelled at him for appearing out of nowhere and demanded that he never surprise her like that again. Gray laughed at the stunned expression on the drakon's face, then the two started to brawl until Erza broke them apart. From what Lucy could tell, the trio had their routine of the boys fighting and arguing for no good reason and Erza threatening them into submission. Lucy would never admit it aloud, for fear of Erza's wrath, but she thought their interactions were adorable.

"Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!" Lucy yelled, pulling at her magic. There was a flash of light, then Leo was once again standing before her, his head bowed. Lucy heard the excited whispers from those watching and her cheeks flushed. Was her magic really that strange? Given the fact that magic was real, she assumed summoning someone out of nowhere was no big deal. Apparently, she was wrong.

"Lucy! Glad to see you again," Leo said, pulling her into another hug. Lucy pushed him away and kept him at arm's length.

"You said you would explain?" She asked him. Leo nodded, pulling Lucy away from the ears of those around her. He glanced nervously at the guild hall and Lucy briefly wondered what the spirit could be afraid of.

"There's so much I need to tell you, but first we need to take care of that curse. Once you have your memories back, it'll be much easier to explain everything. I should be able to break it myself," He answered. Lucy felt him tense as another arm landed across Lucy's shoulders. She felt his strangely intense body heat warming her side, and Lucy bit back a scream.

"Yo, what're we talking about?" Natsu asked with feigned innocence. Smoke curled from his lips and Lucy shrugged his arm off. He stuck close to her side, however, and she glared over at him, cursing his lack of personal space. "Natsu, Leo was talking to me."

"Yea, I got that part, I'm just wondering what he wanted to say," Natsu said nonchalantly, as though he wasn't invading her privacy. Luckily, Erza stalked over and grabbed the back of Natsu's shirt, dragging the protesting drakon away, lecturing him about minding his own business as she went.

"Oi, Erza! I was listening to what the cat bastard was sayin' to Luce!" He yelled, trying, and failing, to work free of the fierce woman's grasp. Erza whispered something in his ear, and his normally golden skin went white and his limbs slacked as the fight left his body.

"Man, I knew Valkyrie's were scary but she's on another level," Leo chuckled as he watched Erza drag Natsu's limp body away. Lucy turned to the spirit, her brow raised. She crossed her arms expectantly and waited for him to explain. The affection she felt stirring in her chest at the sight of the spirit confused her even more than the strange magic powers she now possessed.

"Right, back to the explanation," Leo coughed, he cracked his knuckles and placed his thumbs on Lucy's temple and closed his eyes in focus, "I'm going to draw on your magic, and it won't be pleasant but this is the only way I know of to break this curse. It won't be pleasant, but I have to do this first because it will help explain everything."

Lucy clenched her fists in preparation for the weakness she knew she would feel when he finished. She decided not to question his actions, partly due to the trust she had in him, and the other half from her curiosity about her past. She felt Leo pulling her strength into him and heard him mutter a phrase in a language she couldn't understand. He repeated the phrase, and her magic started to thrum within her chest as her veins glowed under her skin. She could vaguely hear Natsu's voice calling her name, but all her senses went numb as she was tossed into the depths of her memories with a choked gasp.

 _Lucy was little, a tyke, and not happy with the lack of attention she was currently receiving. Her mother jangled her keys to catch the toddler's eye and asked, "Do you want to play with Leo?"_

 _Her toddler self just giggled and grabbed for the golden keys. Layla laughed, and there was a brilliant flash of light and the sound of heavenly chimes. When Lucy opened her eyes again, the man her mother called Leo was kneeling before the girl, holding a toy stuffed dog in his hands._

 _"Hey there, Princess," He said. Lucy giggled and threw herself into his arms as her mother summoned another spirit, Capricorn. Lucy was busy playing with the stuffed toy Leo dropped in her lap to notice how her mother staggered and gripped Capricorn's suit with white knuckles. Leo looked at her with concern in his cat-like eyes, but Layla just rubbed her temple and groaned. "Keep her busy, Leo."_

 _She was older now, and now knew her friends in the stars were the spirits her mother summoned to play with her. Sometimes, when Lucy would sit out in the garden at night and stare up at the sky, she could hear them whispering to her even without her mother's magic. Layla looked alarmed when her daughter told her of how Aquarius bickered with her even when she was up in the sky, and told Lucy she shouldn't let the stars talk to her while she was alone._

 _She knew that the keys her mother always kept with her allowed her friends to leave the heavens above and come down to play with her. She knew each of their names and constellations, after Leo stayed up with her to teach her for nights on end. Sometimes he would appear on his own, as if summoned by Lucy's curious gaze as she studied the star-charts, others he would whisper to her from the sky, his constellation glittering as he spoke._

 _While Lucy loved talking with her mother's spirits, sometimes other stars would speak to her. These stars were not as nice as Leo, in fact, they were meaner than Aquarius. When their voices screamed at her from the sky, Lucy would run to her mother's bed and beg for them to stop. Her mother would smile down at Lucy and say, "Don't worry, little star, I'm here for you."_

 _It was when the stars stopped screaming that her mother started to get sick._

 _"Hey, brat, don't mess with that." Aquarius scowled from her spot in the large fountain in the back of the estate. Lucy, about eight now, pouted but kept her grabby hands on the rose bush and plucked one of the flowers from the stem. She yelped when the thorns pricked her finger and dropped the rose. Crying, she ran over to Aquarius and climbed into the fountain with the spirit. The mermaid just huffed, scolding her for not listening, but grabbed the small girl into a fierce hug and whispered comforts in the girl's ears._

 _Lucy woke to the sun spilling through the curtains and panning over her mother's bed. She shivered at the draft in the room and burrowed into her mother's body, only to recoil in shock when her mother's skin was the coldest part of the room. She called out for her mother, but was met with stillness and silence. Not even the birds chirped, and she couldn't hear the familiar sound of the servants bustling around the house. Everything was cold, and still, and_ silent.

 _Frantic, the girl shook her mother's shoulders, her fingers gripping tight enough to bruise the paper-white skin. Layla always had a golden glow shining under her skin. She told Lucy it was because she was made of stardust, and stars always glow when their happy. Now, Layla's skin was hard and grey. There was no sign of life in her dull brown eyes. Lucy started to scream, she screamed for her mother to wake up, for her skin to shine again, screamed for her father to come and take her away from the lifeless eyes staring blankly at her, screamed, finally, for Leo to come and take her away._

 _The familiar light and sound of the spirits appearing filled the too quiet room, and Lucy leapt into Leo's arms the moment his body appeared in the glow. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she told him he had to make momma better, he had to give her happiness again so she would glow, so she wouldn't be the dull empty shell she now was. Leo's normally crisp suit was rumpled and dirty, and dark bags lingered under his eyes._

 _"I'm going to leave for a while, but you'll see us again," Leo said as he carried the crying girl away from her mother's silent bedchamber. The girl sniffed, burrowing her face in his neck. Lucy had just celebrated her tenth birthday the day before, but spent her special day curled up in her mother's sickbed, listening to the rasps of her breaths and counting each time her chest would fall for too long, or her gasps would catch in her throat. Layla had fallen ill a few days before, and was too weak to leave her bed._

 _"But what about mama, is she okay? She wouldn't wake up," The girl cried. Leo paused, his grip on her tightening, "Mama had to go away."_

 _"Why can't I go with her?" Lucy asked anxiously. Loke turned his face away from the girl's gaze. He did not have the heart to tell her the truth._

 _"Your mama went to live with the stars, but you aren't ready to go there yet," He answered. Lucy just nuzzled into his neck, asking if she could play with Aquarius or Virgo._

 _"I'm afraid they won't be able to come visit you for a while." Leo said, his voice breaking. He handed Lucy to one of the maids, and grimaced. His form flashed, and started to fade causing Lucy to scream and run to him. Loke regained his form and smiled at Lucy._

 _"Don't worry, Princess, I'll be back for you." He said, pushing her back into the arms of the maid. Lucy cried harder, watching the spirit stumble back into her mother's room. His face turned, and she swore she saw tears streaming down his cheeks._

 _"Oh, Layla, I'm so_ sorry, _" He whispered._

 _"Lucy, you need to stay still," Her father ordered from where he stood in her doorway. Lucy wriggled and fought against the straps restraining her to her bed._

 _"Papa, I'm scared, where's Leo?" She asked. Her father just cursed and turned away, "Make sure there's no memory of magic, do you hear me?"_

 _"Yes sir." One of the cloaked men said with a bow. One of the cloaked men muttered how it was a shame to lose something so powerful, but he joined his brethren in surrounding the bed. Lucy felt the tears welling up in her eyes start to fall down her cheeks as the three men placed their fingers on her head and started to chant. Her skin warmed as the air in her bedroom reached frozen levels, stinging at her exposed flesh._

 _"Leo! I want Leo! Where's mama? Where's Aquarius? Give me Leo!" She screamed, her breath fogging in the frigid air. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father ignore her screams and walk out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind him. A sharp pain pierced through her skull and the girl's screams echoed through the manor. Her skin began to shine and waves of blinding light pulsed from her small body. The three men's voices grew louder and the pain increased with the cold, then the light faded and her vision went dark. The memories of her days playing with the Celestial Spirits turned into memories, and all traces of magic in her blood was forced to hide away._

Lucy gasped and stumbled away from the spirit. She felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't care. Panting, she fought to swim above the waves of emotions churning within her. Her skin began to emit a soft golden glow and she clutched at her head, the resurgence of her childhood memories almost too painful to bear. She heard the shouts of alarm as the light around her grew in intensity. The feel of her mother's cold, grey skin against her hands and the sounds of the chanting mages and the feel of their freezing hands against her skin swarmed her senses.

Even Leo had to shield his eyes from the intense light radiating from his master. A high-pitched tone rang in the air and forced some of the guild members to shield their ears from the harsh vibration. She was panting and her magic writhed beneath her skin, longing to be sent free and wreak havoc against the men that tied her down and stole her memories, against her abusive father who let them.

"Lucy! Focus! You're okay now, it's over!" Leo's voice called. Lucy tried to take deep breaths and calm herself, to no avail. Her mother was magical and had the keys to summon the Spirits of the Celestial Realm. She died suddenly, and her father stole her memories and her identity and lied to her about her mother's death for years. Her father. Lucy fought against the rage rolling within her as the memory of what her father did to her played on repeat in her mind.

"Luce, hey, focus! Didn't ya want to go to that bookstore with Levy?" A voice rumbled. Lucy's head snapped up and her stormy brown eyes focused on a wash of pink a few feet away. Natsu stared at her through the piercing light, his onyx eyes burning. She nodded, her brown gaze matching his fierce expression, and finally pushed her magic back into a coiled ball within her chest. The light from her skin faded along with the harsh noise, and she heard the sigh of relief through the guild hall.

"Sorry," She said sheepishly. Gray just mumbled something about having to buy sunglasses, and there were similar sentiments echoing through the guild. Lucy turned her attention to Leo, who looked relieved. She ran over and tackled him in a fierce embrace, pulling him close.

"Leo, I'm so sorry," She wailed into his collar. The spirit just chuckled and pulled her body tight against his own. "It's okay Lucy, I'm back now,"

She sobbed into his shoulder, as she had done when her mother died. Leo just stroked her hair and murmured comforts in her ear. When Lucy finally calmed down, she pulled away from her spirit, noticing the first signs of dizziness from using too much magic.

"What my father did," She began, her magic pulsed in anger, sending glowing golden coils curling under the surface of her skin, "What happened?"

"That is a long story, and I'm not allowed to tell you most of it. I can say, however, that your mother died from a spell that drained too much of her lifeforce. That is why your father hid you magic and memories from you," Leo replied.

"Luce, your magic-" Natsu interrupted. He'd noticed the tired look in her eyes and the unsteadiness of her feet. She glared over at him, then turned back to Leo, who was giving Natsu a strange look.

"Where are the rest of you? Mama's keys, what happened to them?" She asked.

"Some are in the Heartfilia Manor, the rest were passed around Fiore." He answered, running a hand through his hair, his gaze tightening when he saw her slight wince at the mention of her true surname. "I should return to the Spirit Realm, you need your strength."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Leo just patted her on the head and dissolved into light and disappeared with a promise to appear again soon. She stumbled when the drain on her magic ceased and she felt the cold emptiness inside her. Natsu was at her elbow and held out his arms to catch her should she fall.

"I'm fine, really," She said, swatting away his waiting hands. He always seemed to be right next to her, waiting to catch her. Natsu raised a brow as though he could see through her façade, but backed away.

"Okay, so I have some explaining to do," She said and clapped her hands together. Master Makarov waved off every gatherer, save for Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Mira so Lucy could explain what her father did and what she knew of Celestial Spirit Magic.

"I still can't believe I found a silver key in a regular old antique shop," Lucy breathed, a laugh bubbling in her chest. She caressed the simple silver metal between her fingers. This key was less decorative and elaborate when compared to Leo's, but she still viewed it as one of her prized possessions. Natsu rolled his eyes, mumbling about wanting to go out and get food not stupid keys. Lucy elbowed the fire drakon in the gut, which he gracefully ignored, and told him to ask Mirajane for lunch when they got back to the guild.

One thing Lucy was still adjusting to was her newfound strength and speed. She would often find herself crashing into chairs and walls after accidentally speeding through the guild, or crushing cups in her hands. One night, she went to open her door and ripped it from its hinges. She'd even accidentally sat down too hard and crumbled a few chairs and stools to splinters. She remembered one particularly bad incident, when Gray had approached her, completely nude, and she'd punched him so hard he went flying across the guild before crashing through a table.

Luckily, Natsu did not seem to notice when she hit him too hard or ran too fast or moved too suddenly. He always kept up with her, and laughed when she destroyed something, saying she might outdo him when it came to destruction of guild property. Lucy knew she was stronger than humans, and even most mages, but her strength paled in comparison to the mighty members of Fairy Tail. Erza, Gray, Natsu, and even Mira were some of the strongest people she knew and Makarov was constantly warning her that there were even stronger creatures out in the world.

It had been two weeks since Lucy joined Fairy Tail, two long and stressful weeks. The first few days she spent running around Hargeon University while she officially dropped out. She still felt a pain in her heart when she thought about how she had to stop pursuing her degree for the time being, but the blonde knew someday, when she finally adjusted to her new life, she would return to school. That school would not be anywhere near Hargeon, however, for Lucy knew the advisors at the University would remember the ethereal blonde student known as Lucy Ashley. The bewildered looks she got from the few students who recognized her hardened Lucy's will to leave her old life behind. Not to mention the amount of men who started hitting on her. Her coworkers at Café de Monde didn't even recognize her at first. She had to wear a beanie to hide her ears and sunglasses to hide the golden flecks of light in her brown irises and the dusting of glittering freckles across her cheeks. Despite her attempts to hide her enhanced appearance, her coworkers still noticed something _off_ about the blonde. Her manager was not happy to have her quit on the spot, but Lucy had no other choice. How could she work in Hargeon but live in Magnolia with Fairy Tail? Plus, she could barely pass for human nowadays, and everyone who knew her as the human girl Lucy Ashley had to be cut from her life.

Moving to Magnolia brought up a whole different pile of issues. Lucy barely had enough money saved up as it was, and after having to pay various fees for dropping out in the middle of the semester, she was almost completely broke. Luckily, she managed to scrounge a few hundred jewels by selling her textbooks and subletting her apartment until her lease expired. She had been apartment hunting in Magnolia for almost two weeks, and had no luck finding a suitable and affordable home near the guild. Makarov was kind enough to offer her a free room at Fairy Tail until she got settled, but Lucy hated having to rely on them for so much. She helped Mira with the tavern and bar when she could to try and repay her debts to the guild.

"Luce, are you gonna summon that spirit when we get back?" Natsu asked, drawing Lucy from her worries. "I hope he's cooler than that cat bastard."

"Leo is wonderful and a good friend of mine, and of course I'll summon the spirit," She replied, her grip on the key tightening. Natsu smiled and grabbed Lucy by the hand to pull her to the guild faster. She squeaked in surprise and quickly grabbed her bags to keep them from flying out of her grasp, cursing at Natsu for startling her.

Lucy still had trouble summoning Leo for extended periods of time and she could manage keeping his gate open for about an hour before passing out from exhaustion. Luckily, the Lion spirit made it a habit to pop out of his gate through his own power whenever he felt like it, even if that meant interrupting Lucy as she got changed or showered, much to her annoyance. He'd received plenty of slaps and punches, but despite her new strength Leo did not seem too affected.

She couldn't figure out why the fire drakon harbored such hatred for her friend, nor why he seemed to have adopted her. Every time she wanted to leave the guild, Natsu was already standing at the door waiting. He was always at her side while she ate her meals, stuffing his face, and his eyes followed her while she wandered around the hall as she helped Mira at night. Mira teased her about his behavior and how he liked her, but Levy provided a logical explanation for his clinginess after Lucy spent half an hour ranting about the possessive fire drakon.

"His partner, Happy, is out visiting his family in Edolas right now, he should be back sometime soon though. I'm sure once that cat returns Natsu won't pay you the slightest bit of attention," Levy explained. According to her, both Natsu and Wendy had magical flying cat partners known as Exceeds from another dimension. To say Lucy's brain hurt while the bookish demi-fae explained was an understatement.

"We're back!" Natsu announced, throwing the guild door open with a bang. Lucy rolled her eyes and walked over to her stool at the bar. She had adopted the third stool from the edge of the bar as her own, and thankfully she had never seen anyone else sitting in her spot.

"Welcome back, any luck today?" Mira asked, passing a cup of water to Lucy. "Well, we didn't have any luck on the house-hunting front, but I did find a silver key in an old antique shop!"

"Ooh! I can't wait to see what spirit it is," Mira chirped before disappearing into the kitchens to get Natsu's gigantic order.

"How you can eat all that food and still stay fit, I'll never understand," Lucy muttered, drawing a smug smirk from the man beside her. He opened his mouth to give a snappy retort, but was interrupted by an enthusiastic scarlet-haired woman.

"Lucy! I hear you have found another key," Erza exclaimed, throwing a heavy armored arm across her shoulders. Lucy winced as the cold armor bit the nape of her neck, but smiled up at Erza. One thing she learned in her short time at Fairy Tail was to never, ever, mess with Erza. She could be truly terrifying. She'd seen plenty of fights during her time at Fairy Tail, and all of them ceased when Erza so much as gave the brawlers a second glance. Even Master Makarov was wary of her. Aside from Leo's offhand comment about her being a Valkyrie, Lucy knew nothing of Erza's heritage and she wasn't about to ask.

"Yea, it's a silver key from the constellation Canis Minor," Lucy said, breathing out a sigh of relief when the scarlet-haired woman finally released her from her grasp. Lucy elbowed Natsu again when he chuckled at her predicament and glared over at him.

"Why don't you summon him now? I'm sure everyone in the guild would love to see it," Erza said loudly, drawing the attention of even Macao and Wakaba in their drunken stupor. Lucy forced herself to smile and agreed. She hated how different she was compared to everyone else. Natsu's fire eating habit was well accepted, but her spirits were considered strange and bizarre in the magical community. The first time she saw Natsu inhale some fire from a match, she freaked out and panicked, yelling at him for burning his tongue. The drakon found her reaction utterly hilarious, and Erza had to explain the drakon's ability to eat their element to her.

"Open! Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!" Lucy shouted. Sounds of shock and awe rang through the hall as the golden celestial light filled the room.

"Puuun!" The spirit crooned. The spirit was the size of a small dog, and had white fur covering his body. His nose was an orange horn protruding from the middle of his face, and he had cute black eyes. His entire body vibrated and he shakily stumbled over to Lucy and hugged her leg with his small arms.

"Ohmygoshyouarejustsoadorableican'tbelieveit!" Lucy exclaimed, drawing a confused glance from Natsu. She plucked the spirit from her leg and cradled him against her chest. The spirit crooned and rubbed his face into her breast.

"Oh! I almost forgot, do you want to make a contract with me?" She asked. Leo told her that contracts between a Celestial Mage and her spirits were what gave her their power, and he insisted for their contract to say he could come out whenever he was needed, anytime anywhere. While Lucy's memories provided a baseline for her understanding of Celestial Sprit Magic, she still had much to learn.

"Puuuuunnn!" The spirit said. Lucy smiled. "Anytime, but only five times a week? I can do that," She replied with a curt nod.

"I think I'll name you Plue, is that okay?" She asked. The spirit nodded in response and Lucy squealed in excitement. She then started to converse with the spirit, who's responses consisted of the same strange noise from before.

"Hey, Luce, how can you understand that thing?" Natsu asked, reaching over to poke the spirit's face. Lucy turned to keep Plue from his wandering fingers and shrugged. "I just do. When he talks, my mind just knows what he's saying. I can't explain it."

"I wonder if that's part of being a Celestial Mage," Erza drawled, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Lucy cradled Plue in her arms, chatting about her day with the shaking spirit. She walked back over to the bar and placed the spirit onto the counter. As she spoke with the spirit, Natsu took his place at the seat to her right and asked Mira for his usual order, and Erza stood in the space between Lucy and Natsu.

"Oh, have you seen Levy yet?" Lucy asked. She frowned when Erza shook her head and glanced around the room expectantly. The night before, when Lucy had plans to ask the demi-fae more about magic and about borrowing some of her magical books, Levy had run out of the guild with a quick apology, clutching a yellowed piece of parchment in her fingers. Even Mira was surprised by the fae's rude and abrupt departure.

"I'm sure she'll be back from her mission soon. That's why she rushed out of Fairy Tail so fast last night." Mira dropped an enormous plate of spicy, flaming food before Natsu, giving Lucy a bright smile. After ordering lunch for herself, Lucy turned to Erza and asked, "What exactly do these missions entail? I've heard everyone mention them."

"Missions are like jobs that magical beings take for money. Usually it's from government officials or small towns aware of magic's existence, and sometimes from private parties. Almost always, jobs are magic related, like taking down a monster or hunting a magical fugitive on the run from the Council," Erza explained. Lucy nodded in understanding.

"Maybe when I have more keys and learn how to use my magic and fight I could try going out on jobs. I could really use the money," She said, perching her chin on her hand.

"If it's money ya need, you can come on a job with me and I'll let ya have the reward," Natsu sputtered through a mouthful of food, drawing a disgusted glare from both the women next to him. The drakon swallowed nervously, apologizing to Erza profusely. "I've been kinda bored since Happy left and I don't mind lettin' you have the money."

"I think it's a wonderful idea! You could take an easy job, like this one." Mira slammed a roll of parchment onto the counter, appearing out of thin air. Lucy noted the overly excited glint in the barmaid's eyes, and she fought back a shiver of unease.

"I already asked Master, and he approved this specific job," Mira said. Lucy unrolled the paper, and nodded. It read: _Mages needed to Transport Magic Vase from Magnolia to Hargeon. Reward of 10,000 Jewels._

"10,000 Jewels would definitely be enough for me to get started," Lucy muttered. Natsu peeked at the paper from over her shoulder and scoffed. "That sounds boring, why can't we do something fun, like battle a monster of something."

"Natsu, Lucy has zero fighting experience. This job is right at her skill level," Mira said with a sugary sweet smile that made even Lucy shiver. Since Leo was her only fighting spirit- and how she had never fought anyone, let alone a monster before- she knew taking a simple job like this was right up her alley.

"Alright, we'll do it. We can leave tomorrow," Lucy exclaimed. She smiled gratefully at Natsu, who rolled his eyes and continued eating. He did not refuse to accompany her, however, so Lucy took his melodramatic sighs as confirmation.

"Come on, Natsu. It'll be fun," She said, pushing a quivering Plue across the bar to be right next to him, a devious grin on her lips. Little did she know that taking Natsu on any job, even one as simple as this, would be a recipe for disaster.

***********  
 **Tada! I know I'm way late, but I had issues with this chapter cause I had so much more in my outline but things happen. Plus, I'm procrastinating studying for all my exams soooo**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a review to let me know how you feel about this, and I promise we'll be getting to the action soon enough!**


	5. Chapter Five

"Natsu! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lucy screamed, her throat scratchy and hoarse from the screams that already crawled out. The drakon was laughing maniacally, his hands encased in hot red flames as he leapt from building to building chasing after a dark figure weaving through the crowded streets ahead.

Lucy bit back a frustrated scream and stomped her foot. She steeled her nerves and coaxed the threads of her magic up from their slumber deep inside her chest and pushed the fibers of power out and into her skin. She relied on the instincts burning inside her and listened to their whispers, the whispers of the stars and the heavens telling her how to draw on her strength. She closed her eyes, imagining a net of power draping over her skin, enhancing her physical abilities. When she opened them, her skin was crisscrossed with golden veins of power and she squatted as she summoned her strength into her legs. She pushed off the cement sidewalk, wincing when she saw the cracks left in the concrete, and leapt up onto the nearest rooftop to chase after the wild drakon. She followed the trail of smoldering ashes, swearing to any higher power that the moment she returned to the guild he would be _dead meat_.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

The duo had arrived at the address listed on the job flier easily enough, and the instructions from the mustached man that greeted them were simple: take this case, which contained a priceless vase that happened to be haunted by a spirit from the Victorian age, and deliver it to his colleague in Hargeon, who would exorcise the spirit. He told them to never open the case, lest the wards and spells working against the spirit's deadly intent be nullified.

Since Hargeon was only a couple of hours away by train, Lucy decided it would be the easiest option. The job was quick and easy, and she couldn't see how it could possibly go wrong. She'd know better in the future to never even think such a phrase if Natsu was around.

When she learned of his motion sickness, she had to bite back a snicker. Of course, such a powerful mage would have _motion sickness._ He told her it was a part of his draconic heritage, and that every drakon- even Wendy- had trouble with transportation. While a tiny dark part of her relished in Natsu's discomfort on the train for all the annoyances he'd forced upon her since her arrival at Fairy Tail, she mostly felt sorry for him as he slumped over in his seat, blubbering and gagging the whole way to Hargeon. He'd moved so fast once the train finally stopped moving as they arrived in Hargeon that Lucy almost lost him in the crowd, were it not for the fact that he was kneeling in the middle of the station kissing the ground.

"Natsu, come on. It wasn't that bad. We're almost done," She said, poking his shoulder with the corner of the case, "I'll even buy you a reasonable amount of food once we're finished."

His head shot up at her offer, a wide and bright smile on his face. Her gaze dropped to the predatory canines poking his lips. She hadn't noticed how long and sharp his canines were before, and she wondered if he ever cut his lip on the serrated teeth. She'd learned- the hard way- that part of being a drakon was having enhanced senses, even by Fae standards. She shook her head of the embarrassing memories of conversations overheard and rolled her eyes when the pink-haired drakon pulled her out of the train station and into the familiar streets of Hargeon.

Lucy hadn't pictured being back in the small port city so soon, but the universe worked in mysterious ways. Everything was going perfectly fine until someone ran into Lucy's shoulder, causing her grip on the case to loosen the tiniest amount, opening a small opportunity for the stranger to quickly snatch the handle away from her and run off into the streets.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

Lucy snarled at the drakon when she finally caught up to him, ready to scold him for using his very noticeable magic out in the open. Erza and Mira had quickly lectured Lucy on the importance of keeping her powers and identity hidden from the human world, and Lucy had never been the type of student to forget or disregard her teacher's instructions.

"Relax, I put an illusion spell up before I left," Natsu said, giving Lucy a quick glance. She puffed out a frustrated sigh but the muscles knotted in her back relaxed when she focused on their auras to see the wisps of his illusion spell encasing the two of them and hiding their presence from the humans below.

"That still doesn't make running off all on your own okay." She huffed. Her magic thrummed in time with her heartbeat, the threads of light pulsing on her skin as they ran. She could see the dark figure that had run into her earlier just a few blocks ahead and she felt a well of hot anger boil within her. Natsu gave her a concerned glance, feeling the fury writhing inside her through her aura.

"Take a deep breath," He muttered, channeling the rare feeling of peace he achieved during battle from his aura to hers. He relaxed when he felt her anger simmer down and her magic return to her body. "Man, you really gotta learn how to keep those emotions in check."

"I'm trying my best," She snapped back. She felt a twinge of regret when she saw how Natsu's gaze hardened and his jaw clench. A part of her knew that he was only speaking from experience. She'd seen enough of his friendly brawls in the guild to know that Natsu's magic was heavily influenced by his emotions, just like hers. She could only imagine the destructive power he could wield if his temper got out of control. Lucy could almost see the inferno in her mind's eye.

Natsu's power was not something to be trifled with.

"Alright, you can just stay back and I'll get the case," Natsu ordered. His gaze was locked on the man running from them, and she swore she saw a predatory light in those dark eyes of his, and a curl at the edge of his lip. He was enjoying this, she realized. The hunt, the chase. Lucy bit back a smile, his excitement contagious.

"Sounds good to me," She replied smoothly. Lucy had no desire to try and fight the man, despite what the primal instincts inside her said otherwise. Natsu's lips parted in a devious smile and soon Lucy's face mirrored his own.

The wind running through her hair, the sounds of the humans below fading into the background, and the feeling of empty air under her feet as she leapt from building to building _was_ addicting. An ancient part of her hummed in pleasure, relishing in the chase. Lucy made a mental note to ask Levy about the history of the Fae, and if they happened to be a hunting race.

She tossed aside her wandering thoughts the moment Natsu leaped from the edge of the roof and out onto the empty street. The thief had mistakenly strayed from the crowd, believing he could outrun the two chasing him if he could get to a more open area.

Lucy followed her partner, but kept to the shadows. Her eyes tracked every movement the thief made, from the way his knuckles tightened on the handle of the case, to the muscles that tensed in preparation for a fight.

Natsu stalked towards the thief with a snarl. Flames licked up his arms and his eyes narrowed. He stopped a few feet from the thief and waited. He was too still, Lucy thought. Natsu was uncharacteristically silent and his body was eerily still. The only movement came from the fire caressing his skin. Lucy watched, enraptured, as the thief made his second, and possibly last, mistake.

The thief ran towards the drakon with his free hand outstretched. A purple energy pulsed around the hand, and Lucy stepped forwards. Natsu only laughed, and sidestepped the thief's wide swing. The thief was relentless, and kept jabbing and slashing that magical energy blade, but Natsu easily dodged and evaded every attack. It was almost as if he could foresee the thief's attacks. Natsu's smile soon faded, and a bored expression took its place. He sighed, and thrust a flaming right uppercut into the thief's jaw, sending the man sprawling across the street. Natsu cracked his knuckles, and slowly walked towards the collapsed figure. Lucy let loose a breath she hadn't known she was holding as the drakon kicked the thief and grabbed the case from where it had landed a few feet away.

"Aww, I thought that when he stole this I'd get a good fight," Natsu whined, walking to where Lucy stood. He kicked the thief again as he strolled past, ignoring the grunt of pain from the unconscious man. He tossed the case towards her, and Lucy caught it with ease. Before, she would have never been able to catch a toss like that, but she wasn't a feeble human anymore.

The coils of magic rolling under her skin faded away and she stepped out into the street to meet Natsu halfway. "Aren't we going to arrest him or something?"

"I'll notify the council and they'll come take care of him." Natsu pushed back the stray hairs that had dropped into his face and pulled out his phone. Lucy shot a nervous glance at the crumpled form of the thief. She squeaked in surprise when one of Natsu's warm arms landed on her shoulders. She jabbed her elbow into the drakon's stomach- which he ignored as he spoke into the phone. Despite her surprise at Natsu's easily shared affection, Lucy was grateful for his nearness. The adrenaline of the chase was fading, and with it came the familiar aches of magical depletion.

"Man, that was boring, let's go and drop off this stupid case so we can get something to eat," Natsu drawled after hanging up on whoever he'd been talking to. Lucy let out a breathy laugh at his behavior.

"Sure, let's go," She said, unconsciously wrapping her free arm around Natsu's waist. She felt him tense when her hand touched his side, but soon he relaxed with another one of his dark chuckles. His grip around her shoulders tightened, almost too small for Lucy to notice. While the drakon was a pain in the ass, Lucy felt her friendship with him developing rapidly. Something about him called to her, as if he was meant to be by her side.

 _Ah, there you are. I've missed you,_ her mind seemed to whisper.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

"I've found it!" Lucy exclaimed, throwing the doors of the guild open with reckless abandon. The wood creaked in protest to her unrestrained glee and the strength that came with it. At the sound of Lucy's giddy laughs, most of the guild turned to face the demi-fae with wry smiles. Natsu turned from his moping at the bar and shot the blonde a weary smile.

"I found an apartment!" Lucy said with a laugh. She hopped onto her stool next to Natsu, ignoring his sour mood, and chatted with Mira about her new home. With the award money from the job she and Natsu finished a few days ago, Lucy could afford a small, but lavish, apartment on Strawberry Street. It was a bit farther from the guild than she would have liked, but the place was too perfect to pass on for just being a few blocks farther away. She squealed about the bathtub and overall cleanliness. Mira was happy to _ooh_ and _ahh_ at Lucy's gleeful description of the amenities.

"Lucy, that sounds great!" Levy said, popping up at her elbow. Lucy, not bothered by the demi-fae's sudden appearance smiled over at her friend and gushed about the window nook, which was perfect for reading. Her attention was drawn away, however, when she heard a dejected sigh from her left. She looked over at the depressed drakon, and playfully poked his shoulder.

"Maybe you could help me move in, since you're always bragging about those muscles of yours," Lucy teased. The drakon barely even lifted his head in response to her teasing jabs, and only sunk deeper into his chair with another depressed sigh.

"Ignore him, he's just moping because Happy and Charle were supposed to be back yesterday," Mira said, flicking her long white hair over her shoulder. Lucy bit her lip. From what she heard of the Exceed from Natsu, the two seemed to basically be family. Natsu talked about his friend like he was a brother, and Lucy sympathized with him. She'd been an only child growing up, but her mother's spirits- Leo and Virgo and the others- had become the closest thing to family she'd ever really known. Her father, Jude, was always a distant man but he became cold and harsh after her mother's death. Lucy knew what it was like to miss the one family member she'd ever had.

"Oh, be nice, Mira. If I had to be parted from you guys here at the guild for as long as Happy and Charle have been away, I'd be just as sad, if not more morose-" her smile widened when she saw Natsu's head perk up, "-besides, I really want to meet Happy. From what you all have told me, he seems like he could be a wonderful friend." Lucy's voice softened on the word friend. She had friends now, real, loving friends. While she'd only been at the guild for barely three weeks, her affection towards the mages of Fairy Tail had grown exponentially. Levy and Mira, and even Erza, were the closest things to sisters Lucy had ever known, and Gray was quickly becoming a dear friend. Even Natsu, with his gross eating habits and annoying tendencies towards violence, had worked his way into her heart.

"Aw, Luce, keep talkin' like that and you'll get cavities from all that sweetness," Natsu said teasingly, poking at her side. Lucy swatted his hand away, but without her usual determination. She felt pride swell in her chest. Natsu was coming out of his quiet depressed mindset and becoming his usual, cheerful self again.

"Lucy, have you made contracts with those new spirits yet?" Levy asked, her brown eyes glittering with curiosity. Lucy smiled even wider, if it was possible.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

After Levy had disappeared for two days on a mysterious job request, she returned with a new silver key in hand. She'd explained to Lucy that she'd taken a job to translate a manuscript from Ancient Fiorean, and the reward was a silver key. Levy said it was Lucy's welcome home present, and the blonde was at a loss for words when she held the silver key in her fingers. It had the imprint of a clock, and the name of the spirit floated in whispers through the air, _Horologium._

Lucy had summoned the spirit the moment she got up to her room, and quickly made a contract with the clock-like creature.

In addition to the 10,000 Jewels for her first job with Natsu, they were rewarded a pristine silver key as thanks for their extra trouble with the thief. This key had a cross emblazoned on the edge, and she knew the spirit to be _Crux_. She'd summoned the older spirit the moment she returned to Fairy Tail and thankfully he too wanted a contract with her. From him, she'd been learning even more about Celestial Spirit magic. Crux could search for information on celestial spirits and celestial magic, and Lucy had plenty of questions for her newest friend.

He'd told her of the mystical Twelve Zodiac, which Leo was the head of, and the power of the Stardress that could harness the Zodiac's power directly into the Celestial Mage's body. Lucy was thrilled, and couldn't wait to find more of the Zodiac keys. Sadly, that meant she would have to return to Heartfilia Manor, where Leo told her three more Zodiac keys were hidden.

Lucy hadn't shared her secret plans to return to Crocus with anyone else in the guild, too afraid they would try to come with her. She knew she had to face her father on her own. He hadn't searched for her in the two years since she ran away, so she hoped the trip wouldn't be as grueling as it could be.

As though sensing the change in Lucy's mood, Natsu's dark eyes turned to her, a question in his gaze. She shrugged away his concern, turning back to Levy to talk about her discoveries with Crux. Natsu was strangely in-tune with her moods and her magic. Most times he would know when she was about to have a glowing meltdown before she did. While Lucy's magical outbursts were now few and far between, decreasing over time, she still had some minor magical explosions when her emotions got carried away. Whenever one of those moods struck, Natsu was already at her side, his very presence calming her down.

Perhaps it was because he was the one to bring her to Fairy Tail, and the one to break her cursed locket- which she was still quietly fuming about- but Natsu and Lucy were becoming closer and closer with each passing day.

Suddenly, the drakon shot up out of his seat, startling the gaggling girls next to him, his nostrils flared and he stared over at the guild doors with such an intense look in his eyes Lucy swore the wood would start smoking at any minute. His nostrils flared, and a bright smile parted his lips. Soft white light shone from under the guild doors, and then they slammed open, the light blinding those inside. Her ears popped and the hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end as the portal opened.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted, tossing aside chairs and tables and running towards the front doors the minute they closed and the light faded. Lucy was still blinking away the spots in her vision, but she could see flashes of blue and white darting in the air above the tables.

"Charle!" Wendy's soft voice called, and the wind drakon shot past the bar and leapt up to catch a floating orb of white fur into a tight embrace.

"Natsu! I'm back!" The blue cat said. The cat _spoke_. Lucy's brain took a moment to put the voice of the blue, _the blue_ , cat with his body. She quickly shook away her disbelief. She knew Happy and Charle were _talking, flying cats_ , but seeing it in person was a different story.

Happy was nuzzling into Natsu's chest, relaying his adventures with his family, and Wendy questioned her own Exceed about her journey. Lucy noted that the female Exceed was not as elaborate and excited with her responses, but the blonde saw love for the air drakon twinkling in her blue eyes.

"Finally, I thought we'd have to deal with a moody fire drakon forever," Levy muttered. Mira giggled and disappeared into the kitchens to get some fish for the cats. Lucy stared at the tender scene with warmth blooming in her chest. She hadn't seen either of the drakons look so happy before, and she hoped she would see more of their happiness.

The whole guild relaxed after the Exceeds flew through the portal, and Lucy noticed Wakaba staring over at Natsu, his normally tense shoulders relaxed. Puzzled, Lucy turned to Levy and asked, "Why is everyone so scared of Natsu?"

Unbeknownst to the blonde, Natsu stopped listening to Happy when he heard her question and his focus instead turned to Lucy.

"Well, as you know, Natsu has a bad habit of losing his temper and wreaking destruction. He's always had trouble controlling his fire, sometimes he'll accidentally burn someone pretty bad. The last time Happy was gone he almost destroyed the entire guild and no one could get close to him without his fuse going off," The demi-fae whispered. Lucy pursed her lips and glanced back over at the fire drakon, neither noticing how his ears were tuned to their conversation.

"Although, since you've gotten here, he hasn't been as temperamental. I wonder if that's cause he has someone else to tease," Levy trailed off. Lucy huffed. "I don't see what the big deal is. He's perfectly normal to me. Sure, he has a habit of burning things and tends to be more violent, but when I first got here I kept destroying things and accidentally hurting people and Natsu was the only one that didn't give me a pitying look or coddle me."

"Hmm, yea you two do see pretty close," Levy said, the corner of her mouth curling up. Lucy was too busy staring over at Natsu and Happy to notice the gleam in the demi-fae's eyes. He was bouncing with energy as he whispered to his Exceed, then he bounded over to Lucy with Happy floating on magical white wings behind him.

"Luce, I want you to meet Happy!" He said brightly. Lucy rose from her stool and extended a hand towards the floating Exceed, who looked at her warily. "Happy, this is Lucy. She's new, and she's gonna be our partner."

The Exceed relaxed a bit and flew into Lucy's arms and nuzzled into her chest. Lucy giggled at the shock on Natsu's face.

"Hi Lusheee!" Happy said, his voice muffled by her breasts. Lucy felt a blush dust her cheeks and she pushed him away and took a step back. "It's nice to meet you."

"So, you're gonna be a part of our team?" Happy asked, floating between her and Natsu. Natsu's eyes narrowed slightly and his nostrils flared at Happy's question, Levy sucked in a harsh breath, and even Erza appeared to stiffen. Lucy, who didn't know why everyone was looking at her so intensely, automatically replied, "Of course, I'd love to be on a team with you and Natsu."

The drakon stared down at Lucy with wide eyes, his mouth agape. Levy was the first to start laughing. It started as a quiet giggle, then a loud echoing laugh. Soon even Erza was giggling along with the roaring laughter echoing in the guild hall. Lucy's lips parted in shock at the guild's reaction and she turned to Natsu, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with a light blush flushing his cheeks.

"Why is everyone laughing?" She asked, edging closer to the fire drakon. Even Happy looked amused from his perch above the crowd.

"Well, in guilds makin' a team is super important. Cause your teammates go on jobs with you and you have to trust and rely on each other," Natsu said, continuing with a sad smile. "And I've never had a teammate before cause everyone thinks I'm too destructive and out of control."

"That's terrible! I loved going on a job with you," Lucy whispered, drawing a shrug from the man beside her. "That's how it is. I can't say I blame 'em."

Lucy tittered her disapproval. She nudged Natsu with her elbow and smiled up at him as she said, "I'd honestly love to be on a team with you and Happy. I think it'd be fun. After all, it's always more fun when we're together."

Natsu gazed down into her golden-brown eyes, an untraceable emotion welling in his deep green eyes. Soon a bright grin lit his face and he threw an arm over her shoulder with a laugh that shook his whole body.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

"Oi, aren't we gonna kill some fairies tonight?" A deep voice rumbled in the darkness of the bar. A man glared over at his partner and rolled his eyes.

"'Course we are. Just be patient," He said, taking a long swig from his pint. The man reclined in his seat, tossing his long black hair over his shoulder and away from his eyes. He tightened the bandana around his forehead and glared over at his companion once again.

"I'm just sayin' that the Master personally gave us this job. I've been itchin' to go out and spill some dirty fairy blood." The partner growled. The long-haired man bared his teeth and snarled at his partner and leaned closer to growl, "I know damn well what the Master wants, don't you question me you maggot. The girl will be ours and we'll have our war."

The cloaked partner lowered his hooded head and the long-haired man leaned back once again and said,"Don't ya worry. Tonight's the night. I've got the perfect targets. Small, weak, easy pickin'."

The partner peeled back his black hood, revealing a heavily scarred face that would send any sane man running. The man smiled, but the lack of the right side of his lips made it look like he was scowling. The long-haired man grimaced, then downed the rest of his beer, a trickle of the golden liquid spilling down his chin and dripping his shirt.

"Come on now, we've got some fairies to hunt," He said with a dark smile.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

The long-haired man waited patiently with his companion in the darkened alley way. He looked at the watch on his wrist and smiled.

"Any minute now. The target's three fairies, two males and one female. The chick's got blue hair. We beat em, take em to the square and string em up. Got it?" The man said to the cloaked companion.

"Master said to kill em." He protested. The long-haired man growled and slammed his partner into the hard brick wall.

"I said, we string em up. If they're dead when the fairies finally find them, doesn't make a difference. But if that bastard finds em while they're still breathing? He'll be furious. And that makes for a damn good fight," He said through gritted teeth. The partner nodded, and the leader tossed him to the side.

"Come on, we've got work to do."

 _iiiiiiiiii_

Lucy was sitting peacefully before the broad dark wooden desk, staring so intensely at the shining screen of her laptop she swore her gaze would burn holes through the glass and metal. She'd been sitting in the uncomfortable desk chair for hours now, determined to write more in her novel and so far, she'd only written barely half a page. She'd finished moving into her new home a few days ago, thanks to help from Natsu and Gray, and decided to spend her free time working on a new novel idea. At the time, it seemed like a wonderful idea. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Her phone buzzed loudly from its spot next to her computer, and Lucy welcomed the distraction. She picked it up and saw a text from Natsu asking if she was coming to the guild in the morning so they could pick another job to take now that Happy was back. A small smile crossed her lips at his question. Now that she and Natsu decided to officially become a team, he'd been itching to take another job, not that she was opposed. The downside of her fancy new flat was the steep monthly fare. Lucy quickly typed that yes, she was going to the guild in the morning and yes, they could take another job. She set the phone aside again and turned her attention back to the blank screen in front of her.

Cursing, the blonde violently pushed against the desk, sending the rolling chair- with her still sitting inside of it- hurtling across the smooth hardwood floors of her apartment. A wheel of the chair caught on the foot of her rug causing the chair to tip and sending Lucy toppling across the floor. Another foul string of curses fell from her lips as she pushed up and pulled the desk chair upright. Ignoring the flickering cursor on her laptop, she stomped into her kitchenette and pulled down one of her cream-colored ceramic mugs. Tea. Tea would calm her down. Whenever she felt sad or angry as a child, her mother would take her down to the estate kitchens and make her a pot of soothing chamomile tea with honey herself. Unfortunately, the once happy memory with her mother was now tainted by the truth of her father's cruelty and betrayal.

Lucy slammed the mug down onto the counter, accidentally breaking the stoneware and sending sharp shards flying across the kitchen. Sighing, she swept the sharp pieces aside and pulled down another mug. One thing she'd learned since changing into a demi-fae was to have plenty of backups for _everything_. She never knew when she'd lose control of her strength and shatter something. Today it happened to be one of the cheap mugs from the dollar store down the street. She put the kettle on the stove to boil and quickly swept up the broken pieces of the mug while she waited.

The sound of her phone ringing interrupted the blonde's cleanup and caused Lucy to put the dustpan to the side and hurry over to her desk, where the device was laying. She darted down the hallway, into her makeshift office and answered it just in the nick of time with a breathy greeting.

"Hey Luce, I'm on my way to your place right now. I need you to stop whatever you're doing and summon Loke." Natsu's voice crackled, his tone strangely serious.

"Natsu? Is something wrong?" She asked, a cold trickle of fear dripping down her spine. She heard him growl angrily on the other side of the phone. "Natsu, tell me what's going on."

"Levy and her team were attacked. By a rival guild. It's bad." He stated, his voice clipped and on edge. Lucy sucked in a breath and stumbled, catching herself on the corner of the desk.

"Is Levy okay? Where are they? Who did this? Should I head over to the guild and-" She started, only to have him interrupt her, "No! Lucy, I _need_ you to stay where you are. You're too far from the guild now, but I'll be there in a few minutes. I need you to w _ait for me,_ " His voice demanded.

Lucy nodded, mumbling her assent. Natsu was right. She should stay in her apartment and wait for him. After all, the only key she had that could be used to fight was Loke and he drained her magic power too much to be summoned for too long.

"Okay. I'll wait," She said. Natsu's sigh of relief was loud enough for her to hear. He started to speak again when Lucy heard a noise in her kitchen, a high-pitched grinding most likely due to someone stepping on a piece of her broken mug. Her body tensed and she looked out at the dark doorway and towards the kitchen. She shakily walked away from the open door, her breath coming out in panicked pants. She collapsed against her bookshelf and pulled the largest book she had in her collection, an old Classic Literature textbook, and held it up above her head. She tucked the phone in between her cheek and her shoulder and reached into her pocket with her other hand but cursed when her fingers met only dust mites and lint. Her keys were in her damned bedroom halfway down the main hall, lying on her nightstand.

"Lucy? Lucy what's wrong?" Natsu's voice called, snapping her back to reality.

"There's someone in my apartment," She whispered, her voice barely audible even to her own ears. She heard him cursing over the phone and she summoned her courage and slowly crept over to the doorway, her book still held above her, ready to strike at the intruder at any moment. She sucked in a breath and leaned over to peer past the doorway and down the dark hallway. But before she could look, she heard soft footsteps entering the hallway and she quickly slammed the door closed and clicked the lock shut. Natsu's voice yelled at her through her phone, but Lucy dropped the device in favor of having both of her hands free to fight.

She still vaguely heard Natsu's muffled voice calling her name from the other line and it helped calm her racing heart. She took a deep calming breath and reached down for her magic. She summoned the same power she'd used on her first job last week, the golden threads of light wrapping around her body. Her gaze sharpened and she tightened her grip on the book in her hands. Adrenaline mixed with the trickle of magic flowing through her veins, gifting her with even more strength and focus. She saw the shadow of someone's feet stop in front of the door, and Lucy felt a snarl building in her chest. The rumbling growl caught in her throat when she heard three polite knocks on the door.

"Miss Heartfilia? I've been sent to fetch you," A lilting feminine voice called through the door. Lucy bared her teeth, determined not to say anything to the intruder. The voice called her name again, but she remained rooted to the spot. Her magic swirled inside her and bubbled in anger, as if it knew she was in danger. The power seeped through her pores and the soft golden glow she knew to be her magic filled the room, lighting the darkened corners the light from her small desk lamp couldn't reach.

"You give me no choice then," The voice said again. Lucy prepared herself, her eyes locked on the doorknob and the lock. The sound of rushing water filled the air and Lucy's brow wrinkled in confusion. Slowly, water seeped under the door and pooled in the office as if the liquid had a mind of its own.

Where was the water coming from?

She realized it was magic too late. She realized she was trapped too late. She realized she'd never said goodbye to Natsu or her friends at Fairy Tail until it was too late. She realized she should've tried to break her window and escape unscathed too late.

The pool of water swirled up in a vortex and formed into the body of a heavily clothed woman with curling blue hair. She wore a thick blue coat lined with white fur and heavy boots. Lucy decided she would question the woman's odd wardrobe choices later, when she wasn't being attacked or possibly kidnapped. With a wild war cry that even Natsu would be proud of, she threw the book at the woman with all of her newfound strength, pouring her magic into the muscles of her arm.

The paper and leather passed _through_ the woman's body-which turned to water the moment the object came hurtling towards her, and smashed through the closed door behind the intruder. She heard the loud thud as the book few across the hall and smacked uselessly against her front door. Lucy felt the blood drain from her face, but she lowered into a fighting stance anyway. She snarled at the woman, who looked at her with a bored expression.

"Juvia was sent to get two things: the Heartfilia girl and her keys." The woman lifted a gloved hand, and pinched between two fingers was Lucy's keyring. Pure unadulterated hatred swarmed her thoughts, her vision turned red and Lucy screamed at the woman and charged forwards, one hand thrusting out for her keys and the other formed a fist to punch the intruder in the face. She was inches away from grabbing the keyring, her fingertips brushing against the cool metal, before she was slammed back by a wall of cold water.

Sputtering, she readied to charge again when the water pooled around her feet started climbing up her body. Lucy cursed and screamed as more and more water surrounded her. She thrashed and fought against the chilling waves, but it conformed tightly against her body until she could no longer move.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

She thrashed as the water reached her chest, writhed when it reached her neck, and screamed when it tickled her chin. Panicked, she quickly drew in a large breath as the magical water wrapped around her head, trapping her in a floating orb.

Lucy grimaced and tried to swim up towards the edge of the orb, but couldn't breach the surface. She smacked her hands against the invisible barrier blocking her from escape to no avail. Her lungs burned and her muscles shook with effort as she tried to push out of the water. The network of golden threads crisscrossing her skin flickered and faded along with the power dwelling in her veins. With a sob, she sank to the middle of the orb and clutched at her throat.

The hot burning in her lungs was growing too much to bear. She fought against the urge to breathe, but her body ultimately gave in to the temptation. She _needed_ air, she had to _breathe_. She gasped and opened her mouth, desperate for any air, but all that filled her lungs was that damned water. Gaping, Lucy choked and shuddered as her body began to shut down from the lack of oxygen. Black spots littered her vision and soon her world went to black, the whistle of her kettle starting to boil ringing in her ears.

 _iiiiiiiiii_

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As always, please leave a review letting me know how you felt, and favorite! Thanks for reading!_**

 ** _PSA this particular chapter is UNBETA'D so I'd appreciate the forgiveness of any awkward sentences or mistakes!_**


	6. Chapter Six

Natsu heard the whistling of a teakettle long before he reached Lucy's front door. He'd left the guild at a dead sprint when he heard about Levy and Team Shadowgear, the news causing a fire to burn in his belly. He made the mistake of going to see the three unconscious members of his guild before calling Lucy, wasting precious time in hindsight. What he saw made smoke curl from his lips and a rumbling growl echo in his chest. Anything he touched burned with the fires of his anger. Levy, Jet, and Droy were covered in blood and cuts and bruises. The curving shape of Phantom Lord guild's symbol carved in their chests. It was when Erza, who was helping carry the wounded back to Fairy Tail, suggested calling in every member of the guild that Natsu remembered how far Lucy lived from the safety of Fairy Tail.

"Lucy!" He screamed, kicking down her door and storming into her apartment. His heart sank the moment he passed through the doorway. Her fancy new apartment that she loved so much was completely empty. Natsu cursed profusely, mainly at himself for taking so long to get to her, and punched the wall closest to him. The plaster cracked under the force of his fist, and he made a mental reminder to fix the new hole in her wall before she came back. He knew she'd be furious with him for messing up her home.

Luckily, he had visited before, when he and Gray helped her move in. The sound of the teakettle whistling incessantly grew louder as he entered the kitchen, and Natsu haphazardly pushed the boiling hot kettle to the side with his bare hand. The high-pitched sound subsided and he stepped forwards, a crack sounding from underneath the drakon's foot. He looked down and saw the scattered shards of a broken mug, and a half-filled dustpan sitting off to the side along with the broom. Eyes narrowing, the drakon took a whiff of the air to try and scent his partner or the intruder. Her scent was faint, there was only a faint echo of strawberries and vanilla from her shampoo. Natsu followed the scent down the hallway, stepping over the scattered pages of a large leather-bound book and pausing to push open her bedroom door.

Her bedroom was tragically empty, save for a full-sized bed and a dresser. Natsu's brow furrowed when he sensed that someone had gone snooping in Lucy's room, the scent of the intruder coating the night stand and dresser. He knew the blonde was sensitive about her privacy, having "accidentally" broken into her apartment to hang out and suffering the dire consequences, i.e. a vicious Lucy Kick.

He continued down the hallway, where he could smell the residual traces of a fight, the stench of fear and sweat leading him down to the end of the hall. He paused in the doorway of the last room on the left, his shoes soaking up the water puddled on the floor. He saw her phone, cracked and discarded on the floor near the bookcase. Natsu stepped over the puddles of water scattered throughout the room and picked it up with shaking fist and stared at his disjointed reflection in the shattered glass.

He allowed himself thirty seconds. Thirty seconds to focus on his breathing and try to weather the waves of emotions crashing through him. Once those thirty seconds were up, he pocketed the phone in his pocket and turned and ran out of the silent, empty apartment.

 _iiiii_

She woke with a scratch crawling in her throat and a pounding in her head. Cold leeched through her clothes and deep into her skin. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the black spots dotting her vision and let her eyes adjust to the darkness surrounding her.

The black spots faded and revealed concrete walls and iron bars. Lucy winced and held her head as she sat up, leaning against the nearest wall with a curse. Memories of the strange woman who broke into her apartment and attacked her and then, apparently, abducted her and put her in this cell ran through her mind. She unconsciously reached down and into her shorts pocket for the familiar weight of her Zodiac keys, only to find pocket lint instead.

She cursed and slammed her fist against the cold concrete, wincing at the pain. Clutching her hand to her chest, she peered out past the bars and tried to find any clue to her whereabouts in the darkness. When she heard the pitter patter of footsteps coming down the hall and saw the soft yellow glow of a lantern bobbing towards her cell, Lucy curled into the closest corner and slowed her breathing. She figured pretending to still be unconscious and eavesdropping on her captors to try and learn more about what was happening was the best option, even if the chances of her jailer revealing a way for her to escape like any movie heroine were slim.

The light and the footsteps stopped at the bars of her cell, and a low sigh echoed in the empty air.

"You can get up, there's no need to pretend," A male voice purred. Lucy tried not to move a muscle at his words. "I mean, really, Ms. Heartfilia, there's no need for such a ridiculous act."

Groaning, she pushed herself up to her feet and glared over at the man standing outside her cell. His black lips curled into a devious smile when she stared down at him, his villainous black moustache twitching above his lips. He had long, greasy black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and wore a deep blue uniform with yellow stripes. A floating yellow light bobbed next to his left shoulder, casting dark shadows across her cell.

"Where are my keys?" She asked stiffly, crossing her arms across her chest and staring at the man in defiance. The man's smile widened.

"Don't worry, they're safe," He said, patting his breast. The metallic clinking of her keys was muffled by the layers of fabric, but Lucy still felt a bone chilling shiver slide down her spine at the sound. Scalding hot rage boiled through her veins and she felt her magic rising to the surface of her skin in response. She took a few deep breaths and focused on keeping her magic from turning her into a living glow-stick.

"Give them to me," She growled. The man just chuckled and folded his hands behind his back. "My name is Jose, and I'm the master of Phantom Lord. Your father sent me," He said, his yellowed teeth bared in a feral smile.

"My father-" Lucy muttered, taking an involuntary step back. Suddenly, the attack and subsequent abduction made a lot more sense. Her bastard of a father sent some mercenary after her to bring her home.

"Well, you can tell my father to leave me the hell alone." Lucy's hand fisted at her side. She watched the man, Jose, step closer to the bars of her cell and tilt his head.

"No worries, Ms. Heartfilia. Your father paid me a hefty sum to retrieve you, but, I am a flexible man," He said smoothly. Lucy stared at him in confusion.

"I _was_ going to take you straight on over to your father, but then I heard through the rabbit hole that there was a newcomer among the fairies with celestial magic and I _had_ to get my hands on you and see for myself," he placed a hand one of the bars and pushed his face into the opening. "I must say, I am very surprised. Your aura, it's _intoxicating_. So, I've decided to keep the first half of your father's payment and tell him I was unable to find you."

Gooseflesh speckled down her arms and legs and Lucy took an involuntary step back from the man across the bars, grateful for the barrier now that his black beady eyes stared at her with unconcealed lust. Jose jolted back upright, turning his face to the side, as though someone was whispering in his ear. A soft rush of air wafted through the hall and the cell, ruffling Lucy's clothes and the shining medallions on Jose's uniform.

"Unfortunately, I must cut our meeting short. But, when I get back, the two of us will begin our…work." He laughed. Lucy snarled and bared her teeth, but Jose just laughed and waved goodbye as he turned and walked back the same way he came, the little magic light bobbing after him.

Encased in darkness once more, Lucy leaned against the wall and let her body slowly slide down until she was seated on the floor. The icy air stung her exposed skin, and she wished she had something other than the tank top and shorts she was wearing to keep her warm. Lucy sniffled, drawing her knees up to her chest and folding her head in her arms with a soft exhale. The cold of the concrete leeched away her body heat until she was left shivering in the cold, dark cell.

 _iiiii_

Natsu threw the guild doors open hard enough for the ancient wood to snap back against the walls and close with a loud, echoing crack. All heads turned to the seething drakon as he stalked over to where Makarov was conversing with Mirajane and the old healer, Porly-something, he couldn't remember her name. It hadn't been important enough for him to store away the first time he met the surly woman, and it wasn't relevant now. He ignored the scent of fae blood leeching from behind the closed infirmary door, choosing to focus on those he could help: Lucy.

"Master, they took Lucy," He growled out, his voice rumbling low in his chest. The goblin's frowned deepened and Mirajane wiped her eyes with a napkin and sniffled. Natsu could hear the rest of the guild's angry mumbling, all waiting to hear what they would do to the scum that had attacked Levy and her team. Retaliation was the only option to such a vile, ruthless attack on their own. Erza was sitting in the far corner of the tavern, polishing one of her deadly blades with absolute focus and calm. Gray was talking with Nab and Elfman, already shirtless and his fingers nervously fiddling with the waistband of his pants. Even Wakaba was angry, his enchanted pipe smoke circling around the mage and curling through the air.

"Could you tell who it was?" Makarov asked Natsu, who scowled and shook his head. "I've never met the creature behind the scent, but there was leftover water and residual traces of a fight. Whoever took her was a water mage, that's all I know."

"Might've been one of the Element Four," Makarov mused, twirling his moustache with his fingers. The healer woman huffed and crossed her arms. "My work here is done. Those three will be right as rain in a few days. I got to them just in time, too. Just keep an eye out for any signs of curses or hexes, but otherwise, I'm going back home."

"Thank you Porlyusica, we are in your debt yet again," Makarov said, bowing his head in respect and gratitude. The woman just grumbled under her breath and stalked out of the guild, activating the portal with a wave of her hands.

"Gramps, we _have_ to get Lucy back," Natsu implored, smoke curling out from his nostrils. The guild master eyed Natsu carefully, but nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll get her back. She's part Fairy Tail now, which means she's family," He said, patting Natsu's arm. The master sighed, then, with a big inhale, hopped up onto the bar and then leapt to the balcony above the first floor of the guild and shouted, "Listen here, brats!"

Everyone milling around in the guild immediately turned their attention to Makarov. The man stared down at his family, making eye contact with every member, for a few silent moments.

"Earlier tonight, some scoundrel attacked our own. Three of us were almost killed tonight," He curled a hand into a tight fist, "-and now another has been abducted. I will not stand for this. We know that Phantom Lord has been out to get us for years, but now they've gone too far. Their actions tonight leave us with only one option for retaliation. Get ready, my children, for now, we go to war!"

Cheers and shouts filled the air and all those whose magic was combat worthy started gathering necessary supplies and focusing on summoning their powers. Natsu grumbled and paced next to the edge of the bar top, drawing concerned gazes from those around him. With each step he made, another scorch mark scarred the wooden floorboards. The air around him was ten times hotter than the rest of the building. Mirajane and Erza glanced at each other, concern mirrored in their eyes, and nodded. They would keep an eye on Natsu. Drakonic magic was volatile in the best of hands, but Natsu had always run hotter than most.

"Natsu, we'll get her back," Erza said, standing a few feet from the pacing mage. He just shot the Valkyrie a glare and continued. He squeezed his hands in and out of fists, his nails biting into his skin.

"I was on the phone with her when it happened," Natsu growled, drawing the scarlet haired woman's attention. "I told her to s _tay_ where she was. I did. Maybe if she met me halfway, she'd still be here, she'd still be _safe._ "

Erza nodded in understanding. Now she understood why Natsu was so on edge.

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known who was being targeted. Based on what you told us, it sounds like Phantom Lord deliberately went after Lucy, and I bet if they wanted her bad enough, not even you would have been able to stop them." She crossed her arms. Erza's words seemed to calm Natsu, at least a little bit. He stopped pacing, and instead glared out towards the front door, fire burning in his dark eyes.

"They'll pay for this," he said, "they'll pay for what they did to Levy and for taking Lucy."

 _iiiii_

Lucy sat in the farthest corner of the cell, her eyes locked on the hallway beyond the metal bars. She estimated that it had been a couple of hours since Jose spoke with her. The shivers wracking her body subsided after a while, when she could feel the vestiges of her magic returning. Something about the cell prevented her from using her magic. She could feel the golden ichor flowing through her body, but it was just out of her reach. Every time she tried to summon the netting that enhanced her physical abilities the magic she'd regenerated was sucked out of her, leaving her shaking from exhaustion on the hard floor.

Lucy's eyes started to drift closed as the ever-present temptation of sleep pawed at her. Right as she was about to succumb to her body's desire for rest, there was a loud crash from below her cell, and the entire building shook. Cracks shot up the walls of her cell and pieces of the ceiling fell, covering the blonde in dust and debris.

Lucy shot up and grabbed at the bars of her cell, poking her face through the spaces to try and see what was going on. Another crash echoed, and more cracks appeared in the cell. She heard shouts of alarm from down the hall, and saw a doorway open in the darkness, letting in a flash of light as the two guards stationed on either side disappeared down the staircase. She cried out and reached for the lit stairwell, but the guards paid no attention to her and the door closed with a dull thud that Lucy felt echoed in her bones.

She cursed and kicked at the bars of her cell, ignoring the pain in her toes. She bared her teeth and gripped the cool metal and summoned her newfound strength to try and pry the bars apart. A few seconds after she started, an electric shock sizzled off the bars and sent Lucy flying across the cell and crashing into the back wall.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," A voice purred. Lucy looked up at Jose, who had appeared outside her cell out of the shadows. The magical light bobbing around his shoulder grew in both size and intensity and floated into the middle of her cell. Lucy grimaced and brought her hand up to shield her eyes.

"Our plans have changed, my dear. I'm afraid we're experiencing a problem with some pesky v _ermin._ No worries, I'll just transport you to the secondary location," Jose said. He waved his hand and the metal bars of her cell dissolved away, letting him walk into her cell.

Despite the absence of the bars and the possibility of escape, Lucy only felt panic rise in her throat as Jose approached her. His menacing aura was suffocating. She thought about trying to outrun the older man and slide past him to the exit, but before she could make a move the metal bars returned.

"Now, come with me quietly," He said, reaching out a thin hand for her to grab. Lucy just spat at him and backed up against the wall behind her. Jose just wiped his hand on his cloak and glared at her with a disgusted sneer. Lucy crept along the wall, her fingers scratching at the concrete to look for any escape.

Another resounding boom shook the building, sending Lucy stumbling. Jose sneered, glancing back to the stairwell, where screams and shouts echoed from the lower levels.

"No more games, you're coming with me," Jose said darkly, taking a few steps forward. Lucy thrust her hand out defensively and growled, "Don't you fucking dare. I'd rather die than go with you."

"I don't have time for this ridiculousness!" Jose paced across the cell, then paused and gave Lucy a chilling smile. His moustache curled on his upper lip and he stared at the wall right behind her.

"If you are true to your word, go ahead and jump," he said menacingly. Eerie purple shadows erupted from Jose's outstretched hand and slammed into the wall to her right, punching a hole in the concrete. Lucy jumped back and gasped. Fresh air and light from the setting sun flooded the cell. She ran over to the edge of the hole, careful of the cracks and crumbling concrete to peer out at the horizon.

Instead of relief, she felt only cold fear and her heart dropped out of her chest. The cell was at the top of a towering pillar of dark stone and metal that rose high above the earth, close to the clouds. They were so high in the air, Lucy swore she could reach out and touch the fluffy white vapor before her. She made the mistake of looking down, and nausea and vertigo overtook her senses. Her vision blurred and she stumbled back from the edge of the window.

"Like I said, you can jump or come with me," Jose said, his tone laced with arrogance. Lucy glared back over at the guild master. She felt the wind flowing through the cell wrap around her and caress her skin. The sunlight glinted against the metal cell bars, reflecting in Lucy's dark irises. Time slowed, and it seemed like she could feel the sun setting on the horizon behind her, each and every inch.

The thought of going with Jose to be tortured and forced into using her magic, and possibly put her spirits in danger, made her stomach twist in disgust. It was in that moment, when the thought of jumping to her death flitted through her mind, that she felt a strangely familiar kernel of warmth bloom in her chest. Lucy placed a hand between her breast, where she felt a droplet of power thrum with heat. Her heartbeat slowed and her breathing evened out. She could tell that her body was trying to tell her something, and she decided to go with her gut instinct, to trust that familiar magic burning inside of her.

She lowered her gaze and took a few timid steps forward, curling her arms around her waist to look as weak and vulnerable as she could. A deep chuckle rumbled from Jose and he met Lucy halfway, placing both his hands on her shoulders.

"You've made the right decision, my dear," He purred. The little orb of strange magic burning within her pulsed angrily when Jose's hands touched her skin, and Lucy glowered up at the man through her lashes, a confident gleam in her eyes. She snarled and thrust her knee into Jose's groin, all her anger and frustration powering the kick. The man stumbled back with a choked gasp, his eyes bulging from his head and sweat beading on his forehead. His hands covered his groin and he fell to his knees with an agonized groan. She reached into his jacket pocket and grabbed her keys, latching the keychain through her beltloop.

Lucy thrust her chin up in defiance and said, "you will _never_ have me." She took a deep breath, and quickly turned towards the shattered wall. That droplet of magic inside her urged her forwards, and she listened. With a slight shake of her head, she pushed off the floor and leapt out of the tower and into empty air and nothingness.

 _iiiii_

 _"Lucy, remember to trust your instincts. We Heartfilia's are gifted with blessings from the heavens, and the stars will guide you always. I love you,_ mi Tesoro, _" Her mother's voice said from above her bed._

Natsu was leaning over her, calling her by the name of that stupid video game character. She'd just met Leo and she could feel her consciousness slipping away. It was in that moment her perspective shifted, and suddenly she could see what was happening from above. Looking down at her pale, shaking body was something she never wanted to see again. Her hair was dull and her skin sallow and white. She saw her brown eyes fluttering and felt her mind sliding into unconsciousness. Wendy was still turning toward her, but Natsu was right next to her, one hand curling around her waist. Lucy saw him shudder and his free hand started to glow with magical energy.

She felt the heat from his magic even in her astral form, and saw him press his hand against her skin. The light drained from his hand and into her body, and suddenly she was thrust back into her body and a flood of warmth traveled from Natsu's hand and down to the tips of her toes. He'd gifted her a piece of his magic power to keep her from passing out from magic exhaustion. It was then that Wendy appeared at her side and started to administer her healing magic.

Now the confusion from the sky drakon made sense, and Natsu's strange behavior after that incident.

They say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die, but Lucy only saw that memory of Natsu saving her as she tumbled through the air, the wind whipping through her hair and clothes. He seemed to have a habit of doing that, not that she was complaining. Maybe that was why she knew jumping off the tower wouldn't be what killed her, or maybe it was blind luck. She would never know.

All she knew was that after a brief flash of fear right as gravity started to pull her down and she felt herself plummeting down towards the earth in an uncontrollable spiral, was serenity. She saw a flash of pink near the ground, and felt _his_ magic expand in her chest, and heard him scream her name.

Lucy knew she would be fine, and that Natsu would always catch her.

 _iiiii_

All hell broke loose the moment the guild teleported to the foot of Phantom Lord's stronghold. Alarms sounded from within the stone structure, and bolts of dark magic shot out of the openings in the towers. The stronghold was built from warded stone, and had three spires, the middle rising above the others. Small windows were carved in the stone, barely big enough for anyone to look through. It was an impressive castle, but it would now fall to the might of Fairy Tail.

"Remember my children, we fight to protect our family! No killing!" Makarov's voice rang out above the sounds of battle, signaling the mages of Fairy Tail to attack. Natsu was the first through the gates of Phantom Lord, his fellow mages hot on his heels. Erza summoned her thousand blades and started wiping out a corner of the crowd, and ice exploded from his left as Gray began his assault.

Natsu bellowed out a fiery roar, charring a good half of the room and yelled, "Where is Lucy?"

Unfortunately for him, the creatures he asked were now unconscious and he had no answers. With a growl, he unleashed his fury out on Phantom Lord and started to climb the nearest staircase, pummeling any enemies that came his way, and asking the same question to anyone who had the ill-fated pleasure of being in his path.

Soon the sounds of his friends as they fought faded away as he ascended to the top of the smaller tower, disappointed to find nothing but an empty set of cells lining the top floor. Natsu climbed over the bodies of his victims, paying to attention to the creatures in his way except to quickly dispatch them like the others.

When he returned to the lower floor, where the majority of the fighting was taking place, most of Phantom Lord's members were already cowering and hiding from the wrath of Fairy Tail. Natsu ignored his friends battle cries and was focused only on finding Lucy. He paused to try and catch her scent, but the sweat and blood from the battle clouded his senses. Cursing, Natsu turned to start climbing the next stairwell when he felt a distant hum from above. He turned, quickly punching the overzealous demi-fae that charged towards him, and looked up at the ceiling. He ducked a spear thrust at his head and caught the wooden mast mid-air, spinning around and heaving the weapon back towards its owner.

He felt his magic pulsing and writhing, drawing him to leave the castle. His brows furrowed in confusion, but Natsu learned long ago to trust his draconic instincts. He ran out of the guild the same way he came in, drawing confused shouts from Nab and Elfman. Makarov quelled their concern, knowing to trust Natsu's decisions, as strange as they may be.

Natsu followed the pull of his magic to the outer edge of the castle, near the tallest spire. He saw chunks of stone fall from the top of the tower, and he smiled. That _had_ to be Lucy. He knew that spitfire would cause trouble, even after being kidnapped.

Smiling, Natsu kept running, the setting sun coating the earth in an orange glow. His smile faded when he saw her golden hair shining in the sunlight, as she leapt from the top of the tower. She started to plummet, along with his stomach, and Natsu screamed her name. He pushed his legs to move faster and his eyes followed her as she fell. He knew he would reach her too late at the pace he was going. Natsu saw an outcropping of rock ahead and he summoned another burst of speed and pushed off the rocks to soar through the air with outstretched arms.

For a moment, he thought he was too late and that Lucy had just slipped right through his fingers, but then her body crashed into his. Natsu curled around her and gripped her as tight as he could, protecting her from their impact against the hard ground. They bounced and slid through the dirt, grass coating their clothes and hair and twigs snapping against their skin. When the couple finally stopped rolling from the momentum, Natsu felt Lucy's shoulders shaking.

"I've got ya," He murmured in her ear, keeping his arms wrapped around the back of her head and her waist. Lucy was laying on top of his chest, her head tucked in the crook of his neck, and her legs tangled with his. Her hands gripped the back of his shirt, her fingers curling in the fabric and her nails scratching his skin. Natsu stroked the small of her back with his thumb and nuzzled his face in her hair, relishing in the familiar floral scent of her conditioner.

A laugh bubbled from her throat and Natsu pulled away to look down at the blonde in his arms. Instead of crying or shaking from shock, she was _laughing._ He huffed and tilted her head up to meet her eyes, and saw tears falling down her cheeks. She smiled, and another fit of giggling fell from her parted lips. Natsu shook his head, but felt his own chest rumble with laughter.

"I know it-it's not f-funny-" She said in between laughs, "but I can't help it. I _jumped_ from a tower! And you _caught_ me!" She lowered her head onto his shoulder, and tried to stop her uncontrollable laughter, to no avail.

"Well, when you say it like that," Natsu said, a smile on his lips. Her body shook against his and he felt her tears soak the fabric of his shirt. Soon he was laughing along with her, the two lying tangled together in the grass.

When Lucy finally calmed down and stopped giggling, she rolled off him and looked up into his dark eyes. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist and she stayed tucked into his side and leaning her weight against his shoulder. Her hand curled in the hair at the nape of his neck, drawing a shiver from him. Natsu grinned down at her, and leaned his head down until their foreheads touched. His hair tickled her nose and she chuckled. Their noses brushed against each other, and Lucy felt his hot breath fan across her cheeks.

"Thank you," She whispered, closing her eyes and relishing in the closeness of his body. Natsu only hummed, and his fingers curled against her side. They stayed like that for a few moments, sharing each other's breath and warmth.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this update! Sorry for being so late, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter and tbh I'm not the happiest about how it turned out. Oh well, I figured I owed you an update.**

 **As always, please review and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you readers out there!**

 **Hope you enjoyed, thanks!**


	7. Chapter Seven

_"Lucy, what have I said about leaving your room without permission?" Her father's cold voice called. Lucy, who'd just reached her fourteenth year, froze, clutching at the old telescope in her arms._

 _"Where on Earth did you get that?" Jude screamed, snatching the telescope from her small arms. Lucy made a noise of protest, which was met by a fearsome glare. The girl shrank in on herself, and stifled her cries. She tried not to cry, but the traitorous tears fell from her eyes anyway._

 _She'd found the telescope in the attic, behind boxes and crates of her mother's old possessions. The long dark wooden case had caught her attention, and she'd dusted it off and opened it up to see a shining metal telescope embedded in velvet. She'd hoped to go out and look up at the stars on the anniversary of her mother's death._

 _"Don't cry, it's unseemly. You're too old for this behavior," Her father snapped when he saw the tears streaking down her cheeks._

 _"But I just wanted to look at the stars, like I used to with mama," Lucy stuttered, her voice small and quivering with fear. Her father stilled, his face going blank for a moment before rage overtook his features._

 _"Your mother was a foolish woman, and now she's dead because of it. You need to_ grow up _!" He screamed. He raised the telescope with one arm, and Lucy cried out and leapt up to try and grab the precious heirloom. She was too small and helpless to stop her father from smashing it against the floor and stomping on it for good measure. Lucy screamed, a horrible deep scratch that crawled from the depths of her chest. She pushed her father away from the crushed metal and shattered glass, then fell to her knees- ignoring the pieces of glass that dug into her skin._

 _She was too focused on the broken telescope to notice how her father went stumbling a few feet back from her shove, her vision too blurred from tears to note the fear in his eyes. She cradled the twisted metal in her arms as her sobs wracked her body._

 _"Get up this instant!" Jude spat, grabbing her arm and lifting her from the floor. Lucy cried out as the telescope was knocked from her grip, clattering against the floor again. She reached out for it as her father dragged her away, her fingertips just barely brushing the cool metal._

 _"I think you need to be locked in the Room again. You are out of control," He growled. Panic spread through the girl, and she fought even harder against her father's grip. She screamed her protests, reaching out to the servants as they passed by, but none came to her aid. Instead, her potential rescuers stood as stoic witnesses to her humiliation, as always. Her father dragged her down to the basement, and unlocked a sturdy metal door with a key from his pocket. Lucy was sobbing, begging for her father to show mercy. He just wrinkled his nose in disgust and tossed the girl into the dark, small room._

 _"You will stay here all night as punishment," He said sternly. Lucy rose to her feet and ran at the doorway, but her father just slammed the door shut in her face. She blinked uselessly in the dark as her vision tried to adjust to the inky black room. Crying, she banged against the door with clenched fists and kicked until her skin was bruised and bloody. She finally stopped when her hands throbbed in pain and her screams became hoarse croaks._

 _She curled up in the corner of the room, unable to even see her own hand in front of her face. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks as she stared blankly out into the darkness._

 _iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_

When Lucy felt the pounding in her heart subside, she pushed away from Natsu and bit her lip. She looked over at the distant castle, wincing every time an attack rattled the building and sent more and more debris collapsing to the ground. Clouds of dust filled the air. She looked up at the looming peak of the tower, where she'd literally taken a leap of faith. The feeling of helplessness as she plummeted to her doom was not one she ever wanted to feel again.

"What's happening in there?" She whispered. Natsu rolled his neck and stretched, rising to his feet. "After what they did to Team Shadowgear, and after they took you-" his voice deepened into a rumbling growl, "-Master decided it was time to go to war."

"War?" Lucy exclaimed. Natsu shrugged and motioned for her to follow him towards the front gate, where most of the battle was taking place.

"Phantom Lord has been out to get us for decades, I guess Jose finally grew the balls to come at us," Natsu explained. She stumbled and felt her heart drop out of her chest. If Jose hadn't been driven into an all-out attack before she joined Fairy Tail, she- or rather her father- must have been the tipping stone on the scale that made Phantom finally decide to come after her friends. That meant that everyone's injuries were her fault, all the pain and suffering brought on by this war was _her_ fault. She felt as though she was drowning in guilt. If she hadn't run away from home, or joined Fairy Tail, everyone she'd begun to care for would be perfectly fine.

As though he could hear her anxious thoughts, Natsu bumped her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we've got this."

Lucy gave him a weak smile. The wind rustled the grass, creating a low hum in the valley. She tucked the stray hairs flowing in the wind behind her ear and gently covered her keys with her hand. The enchanted metal pulsed with heat, as though her spirits were welcoming her back. Smiling, she absentmindedly stroked Leo's key with her pinky as they walked. She looked back up at Natsu, who was a few strides ahead of her.

He was bustling with barely contained energy, his muscles tensed and ready for fighting. His attention was locked onto the distant fighting, his jaw clenching when a particularly intense attack sounded from the fortress. He was itching to return to the fight and to help his friends. Lucy was tempted to let him, to tell him to go running right into the fire and burn away their enemies, but she was weak and did not want to be left alone again. She'd been in that dark, cold cell for what felt like days, but was probably only hours.

As a child, she'd been isolated from the outside world, kept restrained in her father's manor house with only the servants to keep her company. Her father hired private tutors to educate her, and until she ran away, Lucy never knew what the outside world was like. To say it was a rude awakening was an understatement. She learned quickly that the world could be just as cruel as her father.

She was jarred out of her thoughts by an explosion that sent the earth rolling beneath her feet, causing her to lose her footing, and the towers from above crumbling down around them. Natsu shouted and dove towards her, grabbing her with one arm and waving his other to send a wave of fire to defend them from a chunk of dark stone plummeting down from above. The intensity of the blaze singed her skin and made her cry out. Natsu's arm tightened around her and he shot her a concerned look. He pulled her along, dodging the debris left and right, until they were near the front gate. They skidded to a stop just before the gate, eyes wide and mouths agape.

Erza stood with the guild behind her, the group slowly backing out of Phantom Lord's fortress. With her scarlet hair whipping in the wind, Erza- donned in a brilliant silver winged armor- defended her companions with hundreds upon hundreds of blades that appeared out of thin air around her.

"Take the Master and go!" She shouted. Natsu stepped forward, but paused and glanced over at Lucy. She nodded to him, telling him to go and fight. If she could, she would summon Leo, but her magic was still replenishing after being drained away by that cell. Nevertheless, she ran up to where Mira was kneeling with Master Makarov's small form cradled in her arms. Elfman deflected any attacks targeted towards them, screaming incoherently. Lucy stopped and joined Mira, a shocked gasp falling from her lips when she saw the kindly old man.

His skin was sallow and pale, with a blue tint overcoming his features. More wrinkles than she remembered creased his skin and were it not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, she would've believed him dead. While Lucy still couldn't sense aura's very well, she knew there was something wrong with Makarov's. He had no presence. He seemed like an empty shell that had its life-force sucked out until nothing else remained.

"What happened?" She asked. Mira, with tears running down her cheeks, just shook her head. Lucy felt a wave of heat as Natsu entered the fighting and heard his battle cry echo in the courtyard. Erza called for a retreat to the guild, her voice strained. There was a burst of light and ice and a wave of cold air washed over the courtyard as a frozen shield encased the large doors of Phantom Lord, preventing any of their enemies from pursuing them, for a few moments at least.

Lucy helped Mira to her feet, and together they followed the flow of people running down to a distant growing doorway of brilliant light.

 _The portal_. She spared a glance over her shoulder, hoping to see a familiar flash of pink in the crowd, but was swallowed up by the transportation magic before she spotted Natsu.

She stumbled across the floor as she landed in the guild tavern and crashed into the bar top. Nausea swirled in her gut and dizziness blurred her vision. She really hated that damned portal. When she finally regained her footing, and managed to focus on her surroundings, the portal closed behind Erza, who was the last to travel through. Mira was still crying, the tears dripping down her cheeks and onto the Master's clothing. She carried him into the infirmary with most of the guild hot on her heels. When the crowd bottlenecked at the door, Mira hissed and sent everyone away. She slammed the door shut, but not before telling Happy to fly off and bring Porlyusica to the guild as soon as possible.

The Exceed had stayed in the safety of the guild with Charle, Wendy, and a few others whose magic wasn't suitable for battle. Wendy was pushing her way through the crowd, scanning for injuries and helping where she could. Erza waved away the small girl, saying her wounds would heal, and told her to go try and help the Master.

As the panic and adrenaline faded away, a gloomy atmosphere clouded the atmosphere. Many were sitting with their heads in their hands, or pacing across the floor. Lucy knocked on the infirmary door, asking Mira if she could see Levy.

The white-haired woman called for her to enter, and Lucy gasped in horror when she saw her friend. Levy, and the rest of her team, were heavily bandaged from head to toe, and had an IV hanging next to their sick beds with a strange glowing liquid swirling inside the bag, flowing slowly down the tube and into their arms. Blood-soaked rags overflowed in the trash bin and Lucy could see dried bloodstains on the floor. Levy's normal glowing aura was dark and faded, her breathing shallow.

Hot tears trailed down her cheeks as Lucy sat at Levy's side, too scared to grab her hand for fear of hurting the demi-fae. Mira was similarly positioned next to Makarov.

"I'm so sorry," She murmured. Guilt and shame rolled in her stomach, and she was sure the nausea she felt was not from the portal. If only she'd done something sooner. Maybe if she left for the Heartfilia Manor already, her friends wouldn't be lying unconscious and barely alive in a sick bed. Makarov wouldn't be dying, and the guild wouldn't be at war with Phantom Lord.

The thought of Jose or any of the scum from Phantom Lord coming after the members of Fairy Tail again turned her vision red and made her blood boil in anger. The image of that vile man smirking at her and taunting her behind the safety of her cell haunted her whenever she closed her eyes. Breathing heavily, Lucy rose from her crouch and stormed out of the infirmary, violently slamming the door shut behind her.

The guild was now a flurry of activity. Erza hovered above the swarm, directing the chaos. She was still donned in the shining silver armor from the battle, the glorious silver wings spread wide and taking up most of the available space granted by the high ceilings of the tavern.

Lucy's fists clenched tight enough for her nails to pierce her skin. She distantly felt the warmth of her blood soaking the pads of her fingers. The hustle and bustle of the guild faded away; the shouts and clamoring fading to the dull ringing in her ears, the smell of blood and sweat clogging her nose, her vision blurry. Soon she saw just imprints of color as people walked by. She felt numb. Her anger drained away, leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake.

If she went out and fought Phantom Lord, how would she know they'd leave Fairy Tail alone? Jose made his hatred of the guild very clear, along with his lust for her powers. She knew if she told Erza or Natsu or anyone what Jose revealed to her that they would fight for her, even die for her. Despite the short amount of time she'd spent at Fairy Tail, she knew how deep the ties of friendship went in each and every member's hearts.

She couldn't fight Phantom Lord without risking retribution against her friends, nor could she simply surrender and hope Jose would leave Fairy Tail alone. Plus, she had her spirits to think about. How could she willingly subject them to Jose's whims? Her heart sank. None of her options were good.

"..y…cy…Lucy!" A voice called. Lucy felt hands shaking her shoulders, and then the world rushed back into focus with an almost audible snap. She jerked back and blinked, relaxing when she saw a familiar pair of dark green eyes staring at her with concern.

"Are you hurt?" Natsu asked, looking her up and down to assess for injuries. She shook away his concern and rolled his hands off with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm fine."

Natsu raised a brow and she knew he didn't believe a word she said. Lucy hugged herself and avoided his gaze. She knew that if he asked about what Jose did, she'd tell him. Despite barely knowing him, Lucy's trust in Natsu was ingrained in her very soul. He had saved her life more than once, and had become a good friend in the weeks since she joined Fairy Tail.

"It was a dark cell, is all," She muttered as he inched closer, his shoulder brushing against hers and his breath fanning across her face. Memories of how her father would punish her by locking her in a tiny, pitch black "panic" room flitted through the forefront of her mind. Residual panic and fear bubbled up her throat and she felt her heartrate quicken.

Natsu smiled down at her and slung an arm across her shoulder, pulling her along into the chaos. Lucy stumbled, but Natsu's grip remained steady. "No need to worry about that now. My flames will always light up the darkness, and you're back home. I promise we'll protect ya," he said brightly as he dragged her towards where Erza was directing the traffic.

Lucy's shoulders shook with laughter and she bit back a smile. Of course Natsu would have such a simple opinion. With her mood somewhat better, Lucy willingly plunged deeper through the fray until they stopped right below Erza.

Before Natsu could call out to her, the portal flashed and a terse woman stalked into the guild. Her pastel pink hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she wore deep red robes. Lucy noted that since she'd joined the supernatural world, the concentration of those with wildly colorful hair had significantly increased. The woman grimaced and glared at the guild members. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and instantly cleared a path to the infirmary.

Mirajane thrust open the door, as though she could sense the woman's arrival. She waved the woman over, and muttered her thanks with a respectful bow. The healer, Porlyusica, just sneered and shook her head, muttering about old men with too much foolish bravado, then disappeared into the infirmary and slammed the door. A moment later, the portal flashed again as Happy flew through the doorway and crashed onto the floor.

The Exceeds wings vanished, and he collapsed in a heap near the doorway. Natsu dashed over to his partner and carefully lifted the cat, cradling the unconscious creature in his arms. She walked over and touched Natsu's elbow, asking if Happy was alright.

"He just used too much of his magic at once, is all. He'll be begging me to take him fishing again in no time," He said with a gentle smile. Lucy felt warmth bloom in her chest at the adoration she saw in his eyes and the cautious hold he had on the feline creature.

"Lucy! It is good to see you again," Erza said, startling the blonde. Erza had snuck up behind her, somehow silent with her bulky enchanted armor and swords.

"It is good to be back," She said slowly. While she _was_ extremely glad to be free of the dark cell and reunited with her friends, Lucy knew she was putting all of Fairy Tail at risk.

"Do you mind telling me why Phantom Lord's master kidnapped you? It would help me understand his future strategy," Erza asked, stepping closer to Lucy and looking her up and down for any clues. Lucy blanched at the question. Now was the time to tell the truth, she supposed.

"Well, it's complicated," she began, "but it all comes back to my father." At the mention of her family, Natsu's attention was pulled away from Happy. Except for what Leo revealed, and the memories of her childhood that Lucy shared with him, Natsu knew close to nothing about her family.

"My real name is Lucy Heartfilia, and my father is Jude Heartfilia, head of Heartfilia Co. I ran away from home a little over a year ago. My father is a horrible, abusive person. Jose told me he was hired by my father to kidnap me and take me back to our family estate," Lucy explained with a shuddering breath. "Unfortunately for me, Jose decided my magic was worth more than my father's reward and he decided to 'keep' me, to use as he saw fit. I don't know what he planned to use my magic for, but I know it was nothing good."

Natsu growled low in his chest and stepped closer to her, his shoulder bumping hers. Erza stared at her with a fierce intensity, then nodded.

"Thank you. Your celestial magic is rare, so that makes sense. Now I know Jose will attack us again to try and get to you," She said, but her gaze told Lucy that the Valkyrie would want to know more about her family and why she lied. Lucy was grateful for Erza's patience. She had no desire to delve into her painful past anytime soon.

Every night, she was plagued by nightmares, each one depicting another terrible memory of her childhood. She'd wake drenched in a cold sweat, her sheets soaked, and a scream crawling out her throat. Most nights, she could prevent the screaming, but others she'd wake with her throat hoarse and the echo of her cries in the air, her body shaking.

Erza returned to the air to shout out more orders and prepare for an attack while Natsu draped an arm across Lucy's shoulders and tucked her against his warm body. Lucy tried not to melt in his arms. Now that she was finally free from Phantom Lord's prison, the exhaustion she'd fought off with adrenaline was starting to seep in.

"Don't think that just cause Erza didn't ask questions that I won't. I don't know why you lied, but just know you can trust me," Natsu said, his breath tickling her ear. Lucy tensed, but nodded.

"I do trust you, now at least. Please believe that. I just didn't want to risk my father finding me, which doesn't seem to matter now," she said glumly. She turned her head to peek at his face, and met his burning gaze. He inhaled sharply, narrowed his eyes at her, then exhaled and nodded. His breath fanned across her face, and her mouth quirked in discomfort.

"Fine. I do trust ya, Luce. And don't worry, we'll keep ya safe," He said brightly. Lucy smiled up at him and tilted her head to rest against his shoulder.

"Oh, did you ever find out what happened to the master?" She asked as she glanced over at the infirmary door.

"Apparently during the fight, he went to confront Jose and was causing chaos when a wizard, one of the Element Four, used some spell that sucked all the magic energy out of his body and caused an intense kind of depletion sickness," He explained. Lucy pursed her lips in thought. After feeling the side effects of a _mild_ case of magic depletion, she couldn't imagine how Makarov had survived having every last drop of magic drained away.

"Element Four," She mumbled, "Hey is there some kind of water woman in the Element Four?"

Natsu tensed, and she felt his skin grow hot as his magic boiled beneath his skin. He must've put together the same thing she did: that a member of the Element Four abducted her.

"I think so. Someone might've mentioned it before, but I wasn't really listening," He said softly. She just hummed to herself and strummed her keys with her fingertips. While her guilt and anxiety over what path to take regarding Phantom Lord were temporarily lightened by Natsu's kind words and presence at her side, the intrusive thoughts remained hovering at the back of her mind.

She could always try turning herself in, but what would she do with her keys. If she gave them to Natsu, he'd figure out her plan and try to stop her. She'd stay put, for now at least. Maybe Erza had a brilliant attack plan and maybe Porlyusica would come out of the infirmary with Master Makarov hot on her heels, ready to return to the battle. Or maybe Phantom Lord would just leave them alone and her mother would come back from the dead.

Porlyusica burst from the infirmary door, her expression even surlier than before. Erza and Gray and Elfman ran up to the healer to hear any news, and Lucy was dragged along by Natsu.

"I'm afraid it isn't good. The mage literally _took_ his aura somehow. Unless we find it and return it to Makarov, he'll die within hours," Porlyusica grumbled. Gasps of shock and unease spread through the hall. Gray cursed and turned and punched a wall, sending crystals of ice shooting across the room. Erza showed no physical reaction, save for a slight frown. Natsu just pulled Lucy closer and growled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest.

Porlyusica muttered some more about what needed to be done to save Makarov, then returned to the infirmary to try and keep his body alive long enough to have his magic restored.

"Finding Makarov's stolen aura and returning it to the guild is now our primary goal. No matter what happens, we _must_ save the master." Erza lifted a clenched fist and stared at the closed infirmary door. Sounds of affirmation and agreement flitted through the hall as the news passed through the guild.

Before anyone had a chance to sound a plan of action, the upper levels of the guild and the roof disappeared in a sudden flash of purple light, the resounding boom of the magical canon deafening and the rush of air sending everyone sprawling.

A wave of energy and heat enveloped the guild as the focused magical energy ripped through the guild. Natsu tackled Lucy to the ground and tucked her protectively under his body to protect her from the falling debris, and screams of alarm filled her ears. Lucy peeked out past Natsu's arm and her eyes widened in horror.

In the distance, near the riverbank a few hundred feet from the guild, stood- or rather _walked_ \- the Phantom Lord castle. The castle was perched on a chunk of earth with enormous metal limbs sprouting from below the fortress. In the center of the castle was a large canon barrel with smoke curling from the end. Lucy looked up in horror at the carnage around her. Luckily, not many were injured from the attack. The attack had vaporized most of what it touched and the only debris was from the backlash of such a powerful force ripping through the air.

Erza was the first back to her feet, and her armor disappeared in a flash. When the light died down, she was donned in a black armor with silver accents with large bat-like wings protruding from her shoulder. Her legs and arms were covered in thick plated metal, and her stomach was left bare.

"Good evening, Fairies!" Jose's voice called out from the castle, magnified by magic, "That was a warning shot, courtesy of our lovely Jupiter canon! Next time, I will not miss. Bring me Lucy Heartfilia, or perish. You have 15 minutes."

Lucy felt everyone's eyes turn to her, and she felt her mouth drop open in shock. It seemed that her choice had been made for her. She had no other option but to surrender herself to Jose's whims. She wriggled out from underneath Natsu and rose to her feet, her head held high. She marched out of the guild doors, the portal broken and useless from the blast. She could feel the flickering energy of the wards surrounding the guild as she neared the edge of their protection.

A hand grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Lucy whirled around and was about to yell when she saw Erza standing behind her, with Natsu and Gray at her sides. The three bore equally furious expressions.

"You are a member of Fairy Tail, and no matter your past, you are _family._ We do not allow our family to be threatened," She stated firmly. Erza smiled softly and released her arm.

"Jose Porla! We will _never_ give up one of our comrades, and you shall feel the wrath and might of Fairy Tail!" Erza screamed, the rest of the guild cheering behind her. Lucy felt her eyes well up with tears at her friend's actions. Never before in her lifetime had anyone fought for her as valiantly as the members of Fairy Tail now did.

"Hmm. Unfortunate. Nevertheless, I _will_ take the girl. Sending you cursed Fairies to the netherworld is only a bonus." Jose's voice called. A large circular sigil appeared at the front end of the Jupiter canon, and a robotic voice said, "15 minutes until Jupiter canon activation."

Dark energy pooled in the center of the symbol and slowly started to grow larger with each passing moment.

"Pshh, we've got 15 minutes to take that castle down? No problem!" Natsu laughed. Right after the words left his mouth, a horde of dark shades poured from the towers of the distant castle, each cloaked soldier streaming towards the guild.

"Goddammit Natsu!" Gray cursed, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Ah, well, now it's really a party. I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted, punching his fists together with an explosion of fire.

 **Here's an update! I hope it's to your liking, and please review! I love to hear from you guys! I just moved into my new dorm and finally finished this chapter.**

 **Thanks, hope y'all enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter Eight

Chaos.

The members of Fairy Tail had only a moment to prepare before the dark shades attacked. Lucy, Natsu, Erza and Gray were unlucky enough to be caught outside the barrier surrounding the guild, which was flickering back to life as Mira and a few others poured their energy into it.

The actual guild building was in the isolated warehouse district of Magnolia, far away from the prying eyes of the city, with portal access doors spread throughout the city. Somehow, Jose had found the true location of Fairy Tail and was now ready to attack.

The canal leading to the harbor snaked around the city, circling down to the eastern side of the guild and out towards the horizon. Across from the canal, near the edge of the crumbling warehouses, was Phantom Lord's castle, the enormous canon's muzzle now pointed directly at the remainder of the crumbling guild.

"Natsu, Gray, Elfman! We need to disable that canon!" Erza shouted as she dashed through the air, destroying enemies with every sweep of her mighty sword. Natsu glanced over at Lucy, clearly not wanting to leave her when Phantom Lord was still planning on taking her by force. She pushed the fire Drakon towards the fighting and forced herself to smile.

"Go. The guild needs you. I'll be fine," She said, hoping he couldn't sense her true intentions. While she hoped he would be victorious in destroying the canon, she knew there was a chance they would fail, and Jose would succeed in taking her captive. A small part of her insisted that she run right up underneath the castle and demand Jose stop his attack, but rationally she knew he would never let Fairy Tail survive no matter what she did.

Natsu hesitated, glancing between the castle, where Erza and the others were charging, and her. Lucy pursed her lips, then pulled the drakon towards her and embraced him. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into the crook of his neck with a sad smile.

"Go. I'll be fine," she murmured against his skin. Natsu returned her embrace, nosing her hair for a moment before turning and running into the fray. Lucy's hand caught on his pants pocket, and she blinked away, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I know you'll keep them safe," She muttered to herself, her fingers brushing against her beltloop, searching for the familiar warmth of her keys.

 **-ooooo-**

Natsu quickly caught up to Erza and the others along the river's edge. A disembodied voice echoed through the air again and said, "Charging Jupiter canon, twelve minutes until activation."

The dark energy swirling around the barrel of the canon intensified, and a horde of Phantom Lord creatures and mages poured from the legs of the fortress and came barreling towards Fairy Tail along with another wave of Jose's malicious Shades.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu howled, spinning and roaring a great wall of flames from his gaping maw, incinerating the Shades near him in a flash. As he was turning, he saw a glimpse of gold in his peripheral vision. Lucy. An intense desire to protect her rose from within him and he let out a great, rumbling roar from his throat, his whole body encased in flames.

Natsu had been bubbling with red hot energy ever since he failed to get to protect Lucy from being kidnapped by Phantom Lord's goons. Seeing the horror and fear on her face after rescuing her from the dark tower only served to intensify his rage. Witnessing the fall of Gramps, the greatest and most powerful mage he'd ever met, served to fan the raging inferno within him. He could barely control his magic in the minutes before the attack on the guild. His dragon fire itched to wreak destruction and havoc on his enemies, the ones that made Lucy cry.

The memory of Lucy walking out of the shattered guild doors and climbing over the debris to surrender herself to Phantom Lord still haunted him. She looked so small and vulnerable, walking all alone in utter defeat. While Natsu wasn't the most emotionally mature in the guild- he never was good at understanding human emotions- he knew that Lucy believed Fairy Tail would abandon her and send her off to be tortured by that bastard Jose. Ever since she'd leapt from that tower, a darkness haunted her normally sparkling brown eyes, and Natsu never wanted to see her light snuffed out ever again.

Fueled by anger and the desire to keep his family safe, Natsu grappled with the Shades, easily destroying them with the heat of his draconic fire. He soon caught up to Erza and the others, who had paused by the river's edge.

"Natsu, Gray, Elfman, I'm counting on you to go and destroy that canon. Look for a central power console, or destroy the power source," The Valkyrie instructed. Gray, who had already stripped off his shirt, unbuttoned his pants and pounded his fists together, sending a spiraled volley of ice lances out at the surrounding Shades.

"What are you gonna do?" Gray asked, unzipping his pants and pulling one leg out.

"Gray, your clothes," Erza deadpanned, sending the icicle scrambling to pull his pants back up and look around for his shirt, before saying, "I'm staying here on the front lines. I'll take care of the first round of enemies and be here in case you don't succeed and the canon fires."

"Well sucks for you, Titania, you don't get to be the martyr today. We'll destroy that canon," Natsu huffed. Elfman grunted his agreement before shouting about Erza's manliness. The scarlet haired woman just smiled and shook her head before leaping into the air to attack the Shades flying above them.

"Hey, flame-brain, I bet I'll be the one to destroy the power source," Gray said, a challenge glinting in his dark, slanted, eyes.

"Oh yea? You're on, ice-princess. I'll burn you to ash," Natsu said, summoning his flames to his fists and running off to the castle with a cackle.

Once he was in the thick of the horde, Natsu lost track of Elfman and Gray, save for the occasional beastly roar and surge of cold bursting from within the battle. Soon he lost track of how many Shades he'd destroyed. They just kept coming and coming. For each one he destroyed, three more seemed to take its place.

Eventually, he reached one of the legs of the walking castle, and he quickly shimmied up the metal and punched his way through the metal and stone to breach the fortress.

"Ha! Take that, Gray!" He cheered, twirling and sending a great roar of fire down the hall he'd entered. What few Phantom Lord mages attacked him were soon tossed out of the fortress or knocked out cold by his fists.

" _Natsu, it's Warren. I'm coordinating the communications. Have you found the power source yet?"_ Warren's voice echoed inside his mind. Wincing, Natsu answered, saying he was in the castle and searching now. He hated telepathy. It always gave him a headache. He grabbed the closest smoldering body from the floor, shaking the mage and demanding to know where the Jupiter canon power source was.

"Tch, useless son of a bitch," He cursed, tossing the unconscious form to the side like a ragdoll. He screamed his way through the labyrinthine halls of the fortress until he eventually found an important looking steel door near the corner of the building. He easily melted the metal and crawled into the room, smiling when he saw a control panel with blinking lights and switches and buttons. With a victorious whoop, he quickly destroyed the panel with a fiery kick, then burst through the window leading to a larger antechamber above the destroyed control panel. Within the large, white room was a gigantic, glowing lacrima crystal.

"Fuck," He muttered. It would take a while to destroy such a large lacrima, but Natsu wasn't one for giving up. He sucked in a deep breath of air, and reached for the burning fire within him and roared, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A great spiral of magical flame burst from his mouth and encased the lacrima crystal and destroying the surrounding machinery. When his flames died down, Natsu's smile turned to a frown. The crystal had only cracked, not shattered like he'd hoped. With another string of curses, the drakon started attacking the crystal, punching and kicking at the cracks until finally, after what seemed like forever, the crystal shattered. Panting, he wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed.

"Haha! Hey, Warren, I destroyed the lacrima! The canon should be good and dead now," He said. His smile soon faded when he heard the distant voice announce, "Charging Jupiter canon, Five minutes until activation."

" _Natsu! There's_ four _lacrima crystals in each corner of the castle! Gray told me he defeated the Water Woman and turned her to our side. She helped him destroy one of them, and you destroyed the second so that's good. I haven't heard from Elfman yet, so there's still two more crystals! Hurry up, I don't know how much longer we can hold out here,"_ Warren said quickly. Scowling, Natsu climbed back out of the chamber and back into the hallway.

"Fuck, I can't believe that stupid icicle beat me," He muttered, taking his frustrations out at the nearest wall, creating another hole in the fortress. If Warren was right and there were four crystals in four corners of the castle, the simplest way to get to the next one was a straight line. That icy bastard probably found one of the lacrima's right away and didn't get lost like he did, the asshole.

"Wait! He cheated! He had help. Man, when I see that bastard again I'm gonna beat him up," Natsu screamed. For some reason, what Warren said about a water woman really irked him, but he couldn't remember why.

"Fuck this stupid castle, I wanna get Gramps magic back," He growled. He cracked his knuckles, then turned to face the wall directly across from the room with the lacrima. With a roar of fury, he smashed his way through the wall, emerging into another hallway. He ran in a straight line, destroying every obstacle in his path. He was bound to find one of the lacrima's eventually, right?

 **-ooooo-**

The moment Natsu disappeared from her side, Lucy suddenly wished she'd kept her keys. While it was a necessary precaution, in case Jose managed to get his grubby hands on her, she missed the familiar weight on her hip. Now she was powerless against the army of Shades rushing towards her and the rest of the guild. She reached down to test the levels of her magic, and was surprised to see that they were already fully replenished. She felt a kernel of warmth bloom in her chest and spread through her body. Lucy had an idea of where that little smidge of magical energy had come from, and decided to have a stern conversation with a pink haired drakon after all this nonsense was dealt with.

Thinking of Natsu gave her an idea. Just because she couldn't summon her spirits didn't mean she didn't have magic. Levy mentioned that demi-fae had heightened strength and some manipulation of their magic in the physical world, like how Levy could use her Solid-Script spells to create things. Lucy closed her eyes and clenched her fists, then cast her mind down into the well of power inside her. She pulled the magic energy from its ball inside of her and channeled it into her fist. She needed a weapon, so she asked her magic to make one for her. The image of Erza summoning a sword from seemingly nowhere flashed in her mind, and Lucy felt her arm tingle as her magic flowed down to her right hand.

 _Please, I can't be defenseless. How am I supposed to protect anyone if I can't even fight on my own?_ She asked herself. Her magic seemed to purr in response, and the tingling of her arm disappeared and something heavy and metallic formed in her hand. She opened her eyes and smiled at the object in her hand.

She held the hilt of a golden short sword composed of light itself. She could hear a faint hum emanating from the blade. The pommel was a clear stone in the shape of a seven-pointed star, and the grip was perfectly formed to her hand. The sword was the perfect weight, not to heavy or too light. The cross guard curved elegantly upwards. The blade itself was composed of brilliant golden starlight and shimmering sparks hovered around the blade. The dark Shades flying towards her stopped and let out a high-pitched screech when the light of her weapon struck them. Smiling, Lucy tightened her grip on the sword and experimentally swung it around.

She had no idea how to use a sword, but it seemed simple. Just stab and slash. What could go wrong?

Her plan worked for a few minutes, until the exhaustion of using her magic as a weapon in the physical world started to take its toll. Thankfully, whatever kind of magic the blade was composed of was extremely effective against the Shades. The moment her blade touched them, they screamed and dissolved away into nothingness.

" _…five minutes until activation."_ Echoed the voice. Scowling, Lucy retreated to the guild to fight alongside her fellow mages. A swarm of cards flew past her head and slammed into the Shades surrounding the blonde, exploding with a flash of brilliant light and incinerating the Shade's they touched.

"Lucy!" Cana called, reaching out and grabbing her by the arm and dragging her back into the guild building.

"Woah, wicked sword," She commented. Lucy smiled tiredly at the card user. The fortune teller's gaze focused past her head and with a frown, she pushed Lucy down towards the ground and yelled, "Card Magic: Starlight!" and summoned another wave of cards crashing into the wall of Shades creeping up on the doorway.

"Lucy!" Mira's voice called. Lucy turned and saw the barmaid standing with the other guild members, Bisca and Alzack firing their rifles at her side, destroying a Shade with each bullet.

"What were you thinking, running out to surrender like that?" Mira yelled, pulling the blonde in for a tight hug. As soon as she touched Lucy's skin, Mira recoiled with a hiss of pain.

"Mira, what's wrong?" Lucy asked. Mira only glanced down at the glowing blade and at the webbing of light spreading from her right hand and encasing the rest of her body.

"Your Celestial magic and my demonic magic don't mix," She explained with a light laugh. Lucy raised a brow and glanced down at the light encasing her.

"Is that what this is?" She asked quietly. It made sense. Since she summoned spirits from the Celestial realm, she must be using Celestial magic. She made a mental note to ask Levy for books on the types of Celestial magic when all of this was over. With a jolt, Lucy realized that she planned on getting through this fight alive and with Fairy Tail. Before, when Jose demanded her and threatened the guild with the Jupiter canon, she'd lost all hope of maintaining her freedom. She'd never had a family that was willing to risk their lives for hers, and when Erza and the others came forward to fight for her Lucy had felt a wave of indescribable emotion wash over her.

She was a mage of Fairy Tail. She had a family that would always fight by her side, and she vowed to always fight alongside theirs. Her magic hummed in response, and the sword glowed brighter with her emotions.

Lucy stumbled, feeling the drain as her energy was pulled into maintaining the physical manifestation of her magic power. She shook off the exhaustion and turned back to the horde of Shades swarming against the crumbling wards of the guild.

" _Charging Jupiter canon, three minutes until activation."_

"Well, we're fucked," Cana said with a sigh. Lucy bit back a smile and tried not to laugh. They really were fucked. Soon, the laughter escaped and she was shaking from the force of it. Mira and Cana joined in, and eventually the entire guild was laughing at their situation.

"Let's go out with a bang," Cana said with a flirty wink. Lucy felt her face flush at the insinuation and she adjusted her grip on the hilt of her short sword. Kinana and Porlyusica worked together on placing a quick protective barrier around the infirmary to protect those inside from any attacks, but it wouldn't survive for more than a couple of hours, let alone a shot from the Jupiter canon.

"Who knows, maybe they'll destroy the canon at the last minute and we'll all be saved," Lucy said, drawing another laugh from the card mage.

"Those three? When have they ever gotten anything done on time," Cana laughed. Lucy found herself agreeing, despite only knowing them for a few weeks. She glanced nervously at the cracking and crumbling wards and bit her lip. She took a deep breath then lifted her starlight sword- she really needed to think of a name for the weapon.

"Like Cana said, out with a bang," She said, her voice echoing in the silent air. The calm before the storm was coming to an end, and soon those in the guild would have no choice but to charge forth into the fray. Bisca and Alzack shared a warm look and joined Lucy on the front line directly behind the barrier between them and the Shades.

"I never thought I'd have to use this form again," Mira whispered. Bright light encased the barmaid and her body transformed. Great bat-like wings extended from her shoulders and a deadly tail protruded from her lower back. Her hands morphed into sharp talons and her hair stood up on end in a drastic up-do. Lucy clamped her mouth shut after a moment, too surprised to say anything. Who knew that the innocent looking Mirajane was an actual demon.

"Alright, everyone! I know the situation is dire, but we are mages of Fairy Tail! We do not ever give in, and we will prevail no matter the situation!" Mira shouted, drawing cheers from the crowd of previously disheartened mages. Her new demonic appearance seemed to fill their spirits.

"Mira is actually one of the most powerful creatures in the guild," Cana whispered in Lucy's ear as explanation. Lucy tried to keep the shock on her face, but knew she failed when Mira gave her a shy smile.

" _Jupiter canon activation in 90 seconds."_

"Let's go!" Cana shouted, sending forth a volley of glowing cards that soared through the barrier and destroyed the chunk of Shades hovering at the edge. The moment the cards exploded, taking the Shades with them, the wards flashed, then crumbled under the attacks from the enemy.

The moment the walls came down, both sides charged forward as volleys of magical attacks flew overhead. Lucy pushed her tired limbs to lift the short sword and charge alongside her comrades. Luckily for them, the few actual members of Phantom Lord that had come rushing to attack them soon fled at the sight of the near-complete symbol indicating how soon the canon would fire. They didn't want to get caught in the blast and give their lives for their guild.

" _Jupiter canon activation in 45 seconds."_

Lucy lost track of where she was or who she was with inside the swarm. She could vaguely hear Mira roaring as she destroyed the enemy, and the explosions of Cana's starlight cards over the clash of her sword against the Shades. Soon she reached the river bed, where Erza hovered, destroying more Shades than Lucy could count with each sweep of her mighty sword.

"Erza! Any word from the others?" Lucy called, growling at a Shade that came up behind her. She spun on her heel and slashed the Shade into nothingness.

Erza looked at Lucy's shining blade with a raised brow and a glint of envy in her eyes. Erza slowly joined Lucy and the others that had made it to the river; Mira, Cana, Alzack and Bisca, and Warren, to name a few.

"I haven't heard back from them yet, but a few minutes ago they said they only had one lacrima left to destroy," Warren said with a shaky voice.

" _Jupiter canon activation in 15 seconds."_

Erza scowled, and reequipped into a new armor. She was now clad head to toe in thick plated silver armor, and held two halves of one massive, spiked shield on each arm. She moved directly in the path of where the canon would fire, and told everyone to get behind her.

"Erza, no! Not even you can stop it!" Mira shouted, her demonic form dissolving away until the normal, human looking woman was revealed.

"I don't have a choice! Listen to me, and _get behind me!"_ The Valkyrie bellowed. In that moment, Lucy understood why the Vikings revered the Valkyries on the battlefield. Erza's voice left no room for argument or disobedience.

" _Beginning countdown: Ten, nine,"_ The feminine voice echoed. The sigil around the end of the barrel of the muzzle disappeared, and a menacing purple glow emanated from within. Lucy felt hot tears well up in her eyes. She was worried about Natsu and the others. Who knew what kind of trouble they faced inside that cursed fortress. Erza stalked forwards into the river until she was knee deep and she slammed the shield into the ground and planted herself directly in front of the canon.

"You will not harm my comrades!" She yelled. A blinding light radiated from the canon, and a pulsing wind shook the trees and sent a few of the abandoned warehouses crumbling to dust. Lucy felt herself being pushed back from the force and she thrust her blade into the earth to stop her movement. The power of the canon still had her struggling to maintain her position, the blade of her sword dragging through the earth. She gripped the hilt with both hands and tried to scream for Erza to step out of the direct path of the canon.

" _Six, five…"_

Her tears fell freely as she stared at Erza's silhouette in the distance. She felt her throat go hoarse from screams, but couldn't hear the sound at the great roar of the canon.

" _…one, now firing Jupiter canon."_

All at once, the pressure dropped, causing Lucy's ears to pop, and the waves of energy pulsing from the canon disappeared, sending Lucy toppling onto the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp. There was a blinding light and a resounding boom that sent her ears ringing, and Lucy watched as a brilliant purple ray of energy shot out of the canon, colliding directly with Erza's shield. She had to cover her eyes from the brilliant flash as the armor clashed with the magical bolt, a high-pitched ringing piercing the air. Lucy went flying back towards the crumbled remains of the guild, dirt and grass tangling in her hair. She reached out and dug her fingers into the cold earth, desperate to find a handhold.

The Valkyrie was pushed back, her feet digging into the soil, and the water from the river underneath the path of the canons fire vaporizing from the heat. Lucy knew she was screaming, but couldn't hear her own voice over the sound of the canon blast colliding with Erza's armor. The bolt of energy continued to press against the adamantine shield, and Lucy saw chunks of the magically charmed metal start to tear away. Lucy gazed on in horror as the shield cracked and crumbled, until it dissolved away entirely and Erza was struck by the Jupiter canon's blast. The thick plated armor she wore shattered just like her shield, but took the brunt of the attack until there was nothing left to harm the guild.

Silence fell. Erza was lying prone on the hard ground with the shards of her strongest armor scattered around her, left only in a sports bra and exercise shorts, her body bruised and bloody. Her arms were twisted around unnaturally, obviously broken in multiple places. Lucy quickly stumbled to her feet, only to have her knees give out and crash against the ground again. She crawled over to Erza's body on her hands and knees, ignoring her sword that was still sticking out of the ground.

"Erza, oh no, no," She wailed, biting back her sobs. Lucy was too afraid to touch her fallen friend for fear of causing more damage. Hands shaking with rage, she glared up at the dark fortress in the distance. Snarling, she tried to get up and shake off the shock.

Walking unsteadily, she grabbed her sword, smiling when the metallic blade started to hum in response to her touch and sparks of silver and golden light sprouted along the blade. At this point, Lucy didn't care about how her magic reserves were running dangerously low, or that she was about to storm towards Phantom Lord despite the certainty that she would be captured and probably tortured for resisting them. She was completely motivated by the rage of seeing her close friend, the strongest person she knew, completely defeated and only thought of getting revenge.

Luckily for her, Mira and the others were too busy dealing with the aftermath of the explosion to notice her stagger away. Most were stumbling over to Erza's unconscious body, or back towards the guild to check on those still inside. Jose's Shades had vanished when the canon fired, and all the Phantom Lord members had disappeared back into their fortress like cockroaches.

Lucy started to walk to the distant castle, determined to get to Jose and give him a taste of her Celestial weapon. Somehow, she made it over to a pile of fallen stone, where an old and crumbling building once stood. She leaned against one of the boulders, cursing herself for her weakness. She had to become stronger if she wanted to protect her friends.

"Come on, Lucy, you've got work to do. It's time to give Jose a piece of your mind," She muttered, pushing off the stone and tightening her grip on the hilt of her sword.

"Gihi, I think the Master just wants your magic, girly," A dark voice growled. Twirling around, Lucy found herself face to face with a towering figure with long, messy black hair. His red eyes gleamed in the light, and his sneer showed off his sharp fangs. He had piercings all over his body and face. Lucy wildly swung her sword, only to have the man grab the blade with a scaled hand. The metal scratched against his skin, and Lucy scrunched her brow in confusion.

"Oh, this won't work against me, it ain't strong enough to get through my iron scales," The man laughed, wrenching the short sword from her grip and tossing it to the side. "You really shouldn't have wandered off alone."

Panicked, she backed away and turned to run, only to feel a hard rod strike the back of her head. As she fell, she heard the man's maniacal laughter. Her head struck a stone jutting out of the ground, and all was black.

 ** _-000-_**

 ** _I'm back! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and as always please leave a review! I hope you don't hate me too much, leaving you with such a cliffhanger again ;)_**


	9. Chapter Nine

Natsu felt the Jupiter canon fire, the rebounding shock from the blast sending him and those around him stumbling to their knees, pausing their battle.

He and Gray had joined Elfman in trying to destroy the final lacrima crystal powering the Jupiter canon, but found themselves blocked by two of the Element Four of Phantom Lord. Elfman had already been taken out by the earth user, Sol. Natsu had arrived to see Elfman collapse to the ground, tears streaking his face, and the twisting bastard laughing at his friend's suffering.

Gray arrived soon after, followed by a strange blue-haired woman with an oddly familiar scent. Before Natsu had a chance to think about where he knew the woman from, the two Phantom mages were on the attack. Natsu found himself battling a strange fire sprite with the ability to manipulate his dragon's fire, and Gray and the stranger took on the monocle-wearing mage.

"Stop…using…my…fire!" Natsu screamed in frustration, emphasizing each word with a flaming fist, only to have that very hand turn and strike his face instead. Growling, he lunged for the laughing fire sprite, who sent a wave of purple flames toward him. Natsu quickly opened his mouth to suck in the strangely colored fire, only to cough and choke the moment the flames passed his lips.

"Oi, what kind of bullshit fire is that?" He yelled, rolling to avoid another attack and running up behind the sprite to send a wave of red-hot (normal) fire spiraling at him, except the attack dissipated and the fire sprite remained unharmed.

"I, Totomaru, am the master of flame! Not even your pitiful dragon fire can best me!" The man laughed, easily avoiding another blast of flame. Natsu scowled, glancing over to see Gray and the strange woman easily overcoming the earth user.

"Tch, I can't let that bastard beat me again," He grumbled. He stared down at his fist and the flames encasing it, then took a deep breath and pushed his fire back inside him. "If I can't use my flames against you, then I'll have to beat your ass the old-fashioned way."

Natsu cracked his knuckles and smiled deviously at Totomaru. He ran at the man, ducking past a blast of green colored flames and swiped his leg at Totomaru's ankles, knocking him to his knees. Natsu quickly kneed him in the face, and then followed with a flurry of punches.

Totomaru lurched and spun out from under Natsu's grip, jumping away to catch his breath. Blue blood flowed down his nose and from his forehead, dripping onto the white floor. The sprite spat and glared at Natsu. "How?"

Natsu wiped his brow, then scowled and with a wild roar, lunged again. Totomaru blasted him with orange flames, which tickled at his skin and made his nose itch.

"How are you resisting?" He exclaimed, launching attack after attack at the drake, only for Natsu to emerge unscathed. Natsu grappled with the sprite and threw him to the ground, his hand wrapped around his neck.

"I have someone I need to protect," Natsu growled, tightening his grip around the sprite's neck until he passed out.

"Natsu! The canon!" Gray exclaimed, watching in horror as the glow emanating from the lacrima drained into the piping surrounding the magical orb and dimmed. Natsu howled and quickly sent a wave of intense flames at the lacrima, not wanting to acknowledge that they were too late, and that while he stood there, uselessly, his friends and his guild were being destroyed. Gray soon followed with a volley of ice lances piercing the lacrima and cracking the surface. Natsu summoned another fiery roar and shattered the lacrima.

Natsu paused for only a moment to catch his breath, then he dashed out of the room, forgetting about Gray and the water woman to run out and blow his way out of the castle. He froze the moment his feet hit the hard ground and the wind caressed his skin.

Leading from the mouth of the canon and stopping at the end of the river, was a deep gouge in the earth that stopped at the end of the river where there was a giant crater. He saw a familiar red-haired woman lying like a broken doll at the edge of the crater, surrounded by shattered pieces of armor.

The air began to heat and swelter as Natsu fumed. He felt his magic bubbling out of control, and a part of him couldn't be bothered to care. His body burst into flames, and he started running towards the crowd of his friends. He crossed the barren riverbed, sparing only a small thought for where the water from the river had disappeared to, and paused at the edge of the crowd surrounding Erza. The crowd parted around him, not wanting to get burned by his flames. Natsu glanced down at Mira, who had pulled Erza's head into her lap.

"What happened?" He said under his breath, clenching his fists. Mira told him what Erza did, and said they were waiting for Porlyusica to come and see what could be done for the fallen Valkyrie. Seething, he turned and perused through the crowd, searching for a blonde head of hair. The flames around his body dissipated and he sniffed the air to try and find her scent.

"Hey, Mira, where's Lucy?" He asked. Mira glanced up and looked around, "She was right over there, where that sword is."

Natsu walked over to the shining golden light embedded in the ground, curiously grabbing at the handle. He jerked away, the metal of the hilt burning his skin.

"Ow! It burned _me_!" He shouted, shaking his scorched hand. Gray and the Phantom Lord woman joined the crowd, and Gray scoffed at Natsu's reaction. He quickly knelt and pushed a strand of hair out of Erza's face and whispered something to Mira before walking over to Natsu.

"I doubt that," He said, walking over and grabbing the sword, only to have a similar reaction and cursing while rubbing the burned skin on his palm.

"See, I told you." Natsu said. Cana appeared at their side and she squatted next to the sword and looked at it curiously. She waved her hand near the glowing metal of the blade, and as her skin neared it the sword started to ring.

"Interesting," She muttered. Smiling, she stood back up and took a large step away from the weapon. "It's a literal physical manifestation of Lucy's magic. So as long as it remains here in the physical world, she should be okay."

Natsu huffed and muttered, "Then where is she." He crossed his arms, staring warily at the weapon. He tried again to find a trace of her scent, but the overwhelming stench of the Jupiter canon residue clogged his sensitive nose. Cursing, he looked around again.

"You don't think she went to turn herself in to Jose, do you?" Gray asked. Natsu glared at the ice user and said, "Of course she didn't! You didn't see her face when she walked out all alone before. She wouldn't do that."

Gray lifted his hands in surrender, stepping away from Natsu. He could tell that now was not the time to pick a fight with the fire drakon. As a creature born from ice and snow, his instincts told him to stay away from Natsu's blistering aura. Not that he would ever admit such a fear aloud. Ever.

Natsu started pacing next to the weapon made from Lucy's pure, celestial magic. The golden aura calmed his nerves, albeit slightly. He unconsciously hovered near the last remnant of Lucy. Cana watched the drake's behavior with a devious grin.

Porlyusica soon emerged from the crumbling guild, announcing that the injured were still relatively safe in the infirmary. The healer crouched next to Erza and started to imbue her with healing energy.

"It'll take a few sessions, but she should heal just fine," The surly woman grumbled. Natsu relayed the information to the two standing with him next to Lucy's weapon, knowing they wouldn't be able to hear as well as him. Gray smiled at the news.

"Oh, Natsu, before I forget, the woman that helped us destroy the lacrima was one of the Element Four, but she defected and wants to join us. And um, she was the one that kidnapped Lucy," Gray said, cautiously observing Natsu for his reaction.

"Wait, that's where I know her smell from," Natsu said, staring into Gray's eyes, "and you trust her?"

Gray shrugged, and nodded. Natsu stared into his slanted dark eyes for a few moments, then nodded and returned to hovering near Lucy's aura around the sword. He wanted to go searching for her, now that Erza was being taken care of. He was about to suggest his idea to Gray when the sword started to emit a high-pitched ring that painfully pierced the fire drakon's ears.

Cursing, he stumbled away from the weapon as it started to glow brighter and brighter until it radiated the same blinding and burning light as Lucy did in Fairy Tail all those weeks ago when she lost control of her magic. The light radiated across the clearing and continued to grow hotter until the ringing abruptly stopped and the sword burst from the ground and exploded in a shower of silver light, the force of the explosion sending Natsu, Cana, and Gray flying.

Natsu crawled to his feet and stared at the empty spot where Lucy's sword had been. He looked over at Cana and asked, "What does that mean?"

The card mage bit her lip and winced. "Nothing good, I'm afraid."

Natsu cursed and whirled to stare at the distant fortress. Before he could take off and storm the fortress, he felt something warm in his pocket.

"Hey, flame-brain, why is your crotch glowing?" Gray asked, nodding to the light radiating from Natsu's pocket. Shrugging, he reached into his pocket and grabbed something metal. He pulled a jingling keychain from the pocket and nearly dropped the familiar object in shock.

"That's Lucy's keychain," Cana whispered. Natsu closed his fist around the warm keys and clutched them close to his chest. He suddenly remembered the way she looked at him as he ran off with Elfman before the battle, with teary eyes and her hand reaching out towards him. He should've known, should've felt her put the keys in his pocket. Lucy thought she would be captured by Jose and gave him her precious keys to keep Phantom's grubby hands away from her spirits. While he loved how she'd trusted him with her most treasured friends, she didn't think he'd succeed in keeping her safe.

And for that, he could never forgive himself or Phantom Lord.

 **-ooooo-**

* * *

Lucy woke up slowly and painfully. She was once again lying on cold concrete, but instead of a dark cell, she was in a large antechamber. The room was empty, save for the menacing man that had abducted her- she really needed to figure out how not to get kidnapped so much- and Jose, seated on a throne in front of her. She held back a giggle at the sight of Jose perched on a large block of black stone like a ruler. Of course, he had a throne, he was such a ridiculous man.

"Welcome back, my dear," Jose said. Lucy snarled and rose to her feet, ready to charge at the despicable man before her, when a steel rod slammed into her stomach and sent her reeling.

"Now now, Gajeel, she is our treasured guest," Jose cackled. The man, Gajeel, scoffed and crossed his arms and returned to his spot behind Lucy. She glared up into his red eyes and spat at his feet. Gajeel just raised a brow.

"Ms. Heartfilia, I believe you need to be punished for betraying us and escaping," Jose sneered, standing and descending the steps leading up to his glorified chair. Lucy laughed again and said, "It seems to me like you're overcompensating with that ridiculous chair of yours."

Gajeel howled with laughter, stopping with a cough when Jose shot him a deathly glare. Jose nodded at the man, and Gajeel sighed, then kicked Lucy in the back. She fell again, scraping her knees on the rough concrete.

"Insolent girl, it seems we will have to teach you a lesson," He spat. He waved at Gajeel, who frowned and kicked Lucy again, sending her rolling across the rough stone.

Choking, she curled in on herself and shuddered. She felt her magic bubble inside her, only to be sucked away by something far away. Frowning, she focused on following that thread of power to find where it had gone, and saw the glowing image of her short sword embedded in the ground. The sword shone, and she got the feeling it was trying to tell her something. She dove deeper into the vision, and saw the sword burst into brilliant flames. _Natsu,_ she thought. Lucy returned to her body, and felt another kick in her stomach, the steel-toed boots digging into her skin.

She bit back the scream of pain, and summoned another wave of magic, sending it down her arm to the sword she knew was with Natsu. She trusted her instincts.

Lucy rolled onto her stomach and lifted onto her knees, glaring at Jose. She spat a glob of blood and spittle at his feet and muttered, "Do what you will, you will never get a hold of my power or my keys."

Jose stared at her in confusion, then his squinty eyes narrowed and he nodded to Gajeel once again. The man huffed, then lifted Lucy by the collar of her shirt and started to pat her down. He reached into her pockets and then shook his head when he found nothing.

"You bitch! We will find those keys of yours and you will _pay_ for this!" He screamed, spittle flying from his thin lips. He stalked towards her and grabbed her by her hair, pulling her to her feet. Wincing, Lucy had no choice but to follow as Jose dragged her to the steps and threw her against the hard stone, the edges digging into her spine. Lucy bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she tried to keep her screams from being pulled from her throat.

"Beat her bloody, I don't care if she's permanently damaged so do your worst, Black Steel," He ordered, returning to sit on his black throne. Gajeel hesitated, his gaze locked on the blood seeping from her lips and dripping onto the stone floor.

"Black Steel, I gave you an _order!"_ Jose snapped. Gajeel scowled, but walked over and grabbed Lucy by the hair, throwing her across the room. Lucy screamed as she slammed against a stone pillar. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to rise to her feet, but Gajeel's arm turned into a steel rod and it thrust into her gut. Lucy's stomach emptied itself and she spat and choked, trying to catch her breath. Gajeel crouched down to grab her again, and she heard him whisper, "I'm sorry for this, I really am."

Lucy snorted and tried to smile up at the man beating her. "If you're sorry, why obey?" She asked. Gajeel paled, and bared his teeth. Lucy saw conflict in his eyes as he struggled with the decision to obey Jose. Ultimately, his red eyes hardened and he picked her up and sent her flying into another pillar. Lucy screamed when she felt her shoulder pop, and burning pain seared down her arm. She felt the magic flowing through her arm and into her sword sputter and stop. Blinding white light filled her vision and she screamed as her magic exploded out of her in a flash of light.

"What was that?" Jose exclaimed, blinking away the spots in his vision. Gajeel shrugged, and looked to Jose for what to do next. The Master of Phantom Lord gestured for him to continue, then stood and walked out of the room saying, "I'm going to check on the castle and get the canon working again, I want you to finish up here."

Gajeel sighed and stalked over to Lucy, who struggled to crawl away from the man. Her right arm hung limp at her side, dragging uselessly across the floor. Gajeel kicked her again, and pressed his knee against her stomach while he started to punch her face repeatedly. Lucy spat the blood from her mouth and coughed as Gajeel paused his assault to send her rolling again with a strong kick to her back.

Her vision blackened as her face swelled and bruised from his fists. A sharp pain pierced her side with every breath, and Lucy was sure a few of her ribs were broken. She was barely holding on to consciousness, her eyes locked on Gajeel as he stomped towards her, his arm morphing into steel once again to strike her from afar. Her breath was ragged and wet as blood surged up her throat and forced her to cough up blood and vomit. She tried to roll out of the puddle of her own bodily fluids, but only managed a few inches before Gajeel reached her. He gripped her by the collar of her shirt and kneed her in the chest, then tossed her aside like a ragdoll.

Lucy curled in on herself, choking on her sobs and tears. Every part of her screamed in pain, every nerve, every fiber. Her magic pulsed weakly inside her, struggling along with her but flickering away into nothingness.

Gajeel neared her again, then sighed and raised one foot, slamming it down on her leg. Lucy screamed and wailed as her bones snapped and crumbled under the force of his foot. She glanced down and saw her bones pushing against her skin from the inside, and pain swirled through her. Gajeel looked away, then kicked her again and again.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the onslaught stopped. Lucy tried to look up at Gajeel, to make him s _uffer_ and realize the pain he was causing her. She spat on his boots, which made no difference since they were already coated in her blood.

"I'm impressed. Most people would be dead or knocked out from the beating I gave you," He muttered. He knelt next to her, cringing when she jerked away from him, groaning in pain at the movement. She could barely see from her left eye, the right one swollen shut. He reached out and wiped some of the blood from her face, his face stoic. Lucy knew she was crying from her blurry vision, but she couldn't feel the tears rolling down her skin through the pain. Gajeel frowned and rose to his feet.

"…don't care what he says," She heard him mutter. Gajeel cursed under his breath and turned to her, when the doors behind them burst open and a wave of heat filled the room. Red flames snaked through the antechamber, bringing a scorching heat with them.

Lucy felt her lips try to curl up into a smile. She would know those flames anywhere. Gajeel whirled, poised to attack, when a spiral of white-hot fire slammed into him, sending the iron user flying into the opposite wall and embedded into the stone.

Lucy heard her name being called, and felt someone warm envelop her and lift her up, and knew she was finally safe. The pain thrumming through her body finally overcame her senses, and she passed away into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Natsu burst through the fortress of Phantom Lord with ease. He was about to scream for Lucy and go charging in a random direction to find her when he caught a whiff of her scent coated in the metallic tang of blood. He turned and sprinted down the hall where the scent flowed from, his rage spiraling out of control the closer he got to the source of the blood. He knew that Lucy was bleeding way too much from how much the scent of her blood clogged his nose.

His vision went red as he burst through a large pair of double doors and the smell of Lucy's blood flooded his senses. He saw a dark figure standing over Lucy's bloody and beaten body, and Natsu quickly sent a fiery roar at the man with all the power he could muster. The man went flying and Natsu turned his attention to Lucy.

He crouched down next to her, his hands hovering over her body. His knees sank in the puddle of her blood and he felt tears well up in his eyes. She was barely recognizable, her golden hair coated in her blood and her face swollen and bruised. He cringed when he saw her shattered leg and her bloated arm hanging limply at her side. She turned her head toward his body, and he heard her mutter something unintelligible under her breath before she passed out.

All the muscles in his body tensed and he became eerily still. The man who'd beat her stumbled out of the rubble and stood at the foot of the ridiculously giant stone chair across the room.

"Don't worry Luce, I'll get you all fixed up in no time," He muttered, pushing her hair out of her face. Natsu rose silently, and his flames extinguished and his skin became boiling hot. He felt his skin start to itch and when he looked down he saw red scales crawling up his skin. Smoke wafted from his mouth and nostrils and he felt his dragon fire swarm inside him. Magical energy filled his entire body and overflowed his aura until it burst into white flames. The man across from him had the sense to look mildly terrified as Natsu's form continued to change. When spiraling horns started to grow from his scalp, Gajeel paled and enveloped his body in his iron scales.

Natsu howled in rage and lunged at the man, flying through the air with insane speed. He appeared behind the iron-scaled man and swiftly grabbed him by the neck and wrenched him to the side and into a stone pillar. Before Gajeel had another moment to defend himself, Natsu launched a volley of attacks, punching and kicking at the iron scales until they started to burn and fade away. Gajeel tried to push the fire drakon away, wincing in pain.

Natsu drew in a large breath, then pulled Gajeel up inches away from his face and with a dark smile, spat an unyielding inferno right into his iron face and skin. Gajeel coughed and his iron skin flaked away. Natsu lifted a flaming fist and slammed it repeatedly into his face until the iron drakon passed out.

Even after his eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp, Natsu barely stopped his assault, resisting the urge to continue and kill the bastard. The scent of Lucy's blood reminded him that he had to take her to Porlyusica immediately.

He tossed Gajeel's body against the stone steps, then carefully lifted Lucy into his arms. A growl rumbled deep in his chest as her warm blood dripped down his arms and onto the floor. He cautiously increased his body temperature to keep her body from becoming too cold from the blood loss.

He ignored the sounds of battle echoing throughout the castle and sprinted-while being careful not to jostle Lucy's body too much-out and across to the crumbled wreckage that used to be Fairy Tail. Mira was directing the assault, with Warren assisting her with communications. Her eyes widened at the sight of the blood-soaked pair as Natsu whizzed past, bursting into the infirmary.

Porlyusica looked up from where she stood by Jet, eyes narrowing as she scanned Lucy's body in his arms. Natsu tightened his grip on Lucy, and said, "Please, you have to help her."

Porlyusica nodded, pointing to one of the empty cots next to Levy. After carefully placing Lucy on the cot, his concern rising when she didn't even flinch at the movement, and knelt next to her. Porlyusica raised a brow, but said nothing as he placed his chin on the edge of the cot, his nose brushing against strands of her hair. The grumpy healer made a face as she waved a glowing hand over Lucy's injuries, sparing a glance for the drakon. Knowing how draconic instincts drove his species, she decided against telling him the likelihood that Lucy would emerge from her injuries unscathed and let him stay by her side as she worked.

Natsu remained at Lucy's side as Porlyusica poured healing magic into her body and set her leg, and poured countless potions down her throat. He paid no attention to those that entered the room, only growling his threats at those who neared Lucy's cot. As the time passed, he figured the war against Phantom Lord had been won, considering the guild was still- mostly- standing and from the muffled cheering echoing through the door.

Eventually, Mira entered the infirmary, giving Natsu a swat on the back of his head when he targeted her with a growl as she neared Lucy's cot. She handed the healer a jar with swirling light inside of it, then joined Natsu at Lucy' side. He could smell the anger wafting from her aura as she neared him.

"I've done all I can for now," Porlyusica said as she stepped back from Lucy's cot and took the glowing jar over to Makarov's tiny form. The healer opened the jar, then grabbed the shining light within and tossed it, rather haphazardly, over the master's body. The waves of magic energy slowly returned to the Master with every breath, until his entire aura had been returned. His skin pinked and his breathing went from ragged to even. Porlyusica huffed, then made her rounds with each patient to ensure their health was indeed improving.

"Who did this?" Mira asked, placing a hand on Lucy's cheek. Natsu grumbled his answer, and glanced up at the barmaid.

"Who won?" He asked, despite knowing the answer. Mira smiled softly down at Lucy as the blonde leaned into her palm, and answered, "Gray had some assistance from Erza, who woke up and returned to the battle without a care for her own health, as usual. Together, they retrieved Makarov's aura, and then they sent Jose packing. He ran, abandoning his guild and his castle," Mira paused to sneer, "-then Erza stumbled back with Makarov's aura and passed out right after you got here."

Natsu grimaced. That bastard Jose was still out there somewhere, planning to steal Lucy away and to kill his friends. As though she could read his thoughts, Mira ensured him that Warren and Gray were out searching for that cowardly bastard Jose. She knelt next to Natsu, eyes filling with tears as she stroked Lucy's blood-soaked hair.

"How could this have happened?" She asked breathlessly. Natsu shrugged, sparing a glance at Makarov and Team Shadowgear. Together they sat in silence for a few moments, keeping watch over the injured.

When Gray burst through the doors, the water woman hot on his heels, Mira stood to greet them while Natsu stayed where he was by Lucy's side. Her breathing had started to even out, and her cheeks were beginning to flush a soft pink.

"Bastard got away, how's Gramps?" He asked, shaking his arm out of the blue-haired woman's grip.

"He's improving, according to Porlyusica," Mira explained before turning her gaze to the shy woman standing behind Gray and said, "You said you'd explain later, well, it's later."

"This is Juvia, she helped me destroy the Jupiter canon and helped us in the fight," Gray said, pulling her out from behind him and placing her in front of Mira. The half-demon looked over the water mage, then smiled and welcomed her to Fairy Tail.

"Juvia was happy to help, Jose was not a nice man to Juvia," The woman, Juvia, said with a shy smile. Natsu let out a growl, glaring over at her from his spot next to Lucy. A part of him wanted to rush forth and beat Juvia into a pulp for taking his Lucy away and handing her over to Jose, while another, admittedly larger, part wanted to stay as close to Lucy as he could to ensure her safety.

Juvia blanched and scampered back behind Gray again, shooting a nervous look at the fuming fire drakon. Mira glared over at Natsu, and he could hear her lecturing him on manners in his head. The trio walked out of the infirmary to continue talking outside, away from the annoyed and territorial drakon.

Natsu puffed smoke from his mouth and rolled his eyes. He turned his eyes back to Lucy's face, his scowl deepening. He focused on the all too slow beat of her heart and let his mind and body relax.

 **-ooooo-**

* * *

Lucy was tired of waking up in immense pain. It had been happening all too often, for her liking. Luckily, this time she awoke in a familiar room, rather than the dark prisons of Phantom Lord's fortress. With a quick look around, she saw that the infirmary was empty and quiet. She slowly sat up, wincing when her head throbbed in pain. A sharp pain pulsed through her shoulder and she grimaced, cautiously rolling the joint after a moment's rest. Once she could move her arm without too much pain, she looked over the rest of her body. She placed a hand on her chest, grimacing when she felt the thick bandages around her ribcage. Her leg was wrapped in a thick cast from ankle to thigh, and she could already feel the dull ache in her bones.

The memory of Gajeel slamming his boot down on her leg until the bone shattered made her breath shake and her heart race. Her grip on the bedsheet tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut. When she finally regained control of her emotions, she reopened her eyes and rubbed her temple. Great, more nightmare material.

The sound of muffled laugher drifted through the closed door, and Lucy pursed her lips and stared longingly towards the door, where she knew her friends were. Since she was lying, somewhat healed, in the infirmary, she assumed Fairy Tail had beaten Phantom Lord, and hearing the boisterous sounds from the tavern, she assumed everyone had survived the battle.

"I am not going to stay stuck in this bed forever," She muttered, determination filling her brown eyes. With a deep breath, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, trying her best to ignore the shooting pain thrumming through her broken leg. Hissing in pain, she used her good arm to support her leg, then carefully stood. Wobbling, she gripped the edge of her cot for support and took another deep breath.

"I can do this," She whispered under her breath. Lucy eyed the counter a few feet from her current position. She could make it. She cautiously lifted her hand from the edge of the cot and balanced on her good leg. She hobbled over to the counter with a soft whimper every time she tried to put weight on her bad leg. She practically fell against the counter, huffing and puffing from the exertion. Pouting, she slid down the counter until she reached the door a few minutes later.

By the time she reached the doorway, she was panting and sweating. Black dots spotted her vision and she felt vaguely queasy. Lucy pushed through the pain and discomfort, determined to find out what was happening on the other side of that door. She _needed_ to know what had happened after Gajeel beat her half to death. Since Levy was no longer resting in the infirmary, Lucy hoped her friend was already back on her feet.

Lucy opened the door with what little energy she could muster. It slowly creaked open, quiet enough not to draw any attention from those on the other side. As the light from the tavern filled the room and the sounds of her friends laughing and enjoying themselves echoed, Lucy felt her lips part into a small smile. Unfortunately, her smile melted away when she saw the vast space between her and the bar or a chair. It seemed like too much ground to cover with her bad leg.

Well, let it be known that Lucy Hearfilia was not a quitter. With a grimace, she swung her bad leg out in front of her and started to make her way out of the shadows and towards her friends. She could see Mira tending to the bar, and Levy sitting at one of the stools, her skin still pale and sickly. Lucy slid along the wall, cursing under her breath with each movement. Soon her leg was screaming with pain, and her head was pulsing and her shoulder sent pinpricks of agony down her arm. Her ribs ached with each breath. Sweat dripped down her forehead and into her eye, and she started to sway as her vision darkened. Lucy gritted her teeth, determined to make it to the bar in one relatively okay piece.

She was almost halfway there when she felt her muscles spasm. Lucy was powerless to stop her body from giving out on her and collapsing. Before she hit the ground, a pair of warm arms wrapped around her and lifted her. She let herself be held up and turned to face the man helping her.

Natsu was scowling down at her. He twisted, then lifted her into his arms, swinging her legs out from under her. Lucy was too tired to protest the contact, and instead nuzzled into his neck. Natsu was always there to take care of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He snapped. His body started to heat as his anger intensified, but Lucy relished in the warmth. She lifted her good arm and wrapped it around his neck.

"I wanted to see everyone," She whispered. She felt a rush of warm air against her ear as he sighed. With a grumble, he turned and carried her over to the bar to join Levy. Lucy knew normally she'd be embarrassed by Natsu's behavior, but she was too tired to care.

"I know if I took ya back to the infirmary I know you'd throw a fit and try again," He grumbled with a low laugh. Lucy smiled and gripped tighter onto his shirt collar.

"Lucy!" Levy exclaimed upon seeing the blonde in Natsu's arms. Smiling, she patted Natsu's shoulder until he cautiously set her down on a barstool. Panting, she reached out to hug Levy.

"I'm so glad you're okay! When I woke up and saw you, I was so worried," Levy said.

"Like you're one to talk, I was so worried about you and look at you. You're already healed, how long has it been?" She asked. Natsu, who'd been hovering behind her as if waiting for her to tumble off the stool, stepped closer until his chest was pressing against her back, his warm aura enveloping her.

"It's been four days since the battle, and you've been unconscious the entire time. Jet and I woke up the day after, and Droy a little bit after us," Levy explained. Lucy's eyes widened and she leaned back into Natsu's chest with a groan.

"Four days?" She muttered. Levy reached out and grabbed her hand with a concerned look. Natsu placed his chin on the top of her head, his breath fanning down over her face. Lucy peered up at him and raised a brow. He just stared with a blank expression. She just rolled her eyes, then turned back to face Levy, trying her best to ignore the clingy drakon behind her.

"Well I'm so glad you're okay," She said with a yawn. She could feel Natsu's disapproving look, and knew he wanted to take her back to her cot so she could rest.

"Oh, before I forget, what happened? The last thing I remember was-" Her voice caught in her throat as the memory of Gajeel relentlessly pounding away at her body sent her heart racing. Suddenly, she was glad for Natsu's comforting presence behind her.

"I beat up that iron bastard and Gray and Erza got Gramp's aura back. Jose got away but Gramps has been talking to the Council about hunting him down," Natsu said. Her heart rate started to return to a normal pace as the minutes passed.

"Well, at least everyone is okay," She said softly. Levy's eyes filled with sympathy. Before anyone could say anything else, a loud voice boomed through the room.

"LUCY HEARTFILIA, WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING OUT OF BED?" Erza bellowed, pointing an accusing finger her way. Natsu jerked back, causing Lucy to start to wobble and lose her balance. She screamed Natsu's name as she started to tumble from the barstool, and with a curse he reached out and helped right her again. This time he just kept one hand placed on the small of her back.

"Erza! I'm so glad you're okay," Lucy said with a nervous smile, hoping to calm the violent red-head. She watched with increasing fear as Erza stalked towards her. She leaned closer to Natsu and whispered, "You don't think she'd kill me while I'm still injured, right?"

"One can only hope," He whispered back. Erza stopped right in front of Lucy, pausing to stare her down. A moment passed, then she smiled and plucked Lucy off the stool and pressed her against her chest, her armored chest.

"I'm glad you're okay," She said, clutching her tight. Lucy coughed, wincing in pain, but mumbled a similar sentiment. Her shoulder started to burn, then warm hands plucked her from Erza's arms and placed her back on the stool, holding her waist.

"Hey, watch what you're doing, crazy woman. She's still healing," Natsu said. Erza stepped back in shock, then bowed and said, "I'm so sorry Lucy. Please forgive me."

"Ah, Erza! It's fine, I'm okay," Lucy said quickly while waving her arms. Erza straightened and clapped Lucy on the back.

"I knew you were strong. I remember you fighting with that magnificent short sword on the battle field. I'd love to help you train sometime," Erza said. A spark of interest lit Lucy's dark eyes and she eagerly agreed.

"I don't even remember how I summoned that thing, to be honest," She said as she glanced down at her right hand, as though she could summon the celestial weapon just by looking at her palm.

"Well, when you do, I'd be happy to help you train," Erza said, a devious spark in her eyes. Lucy suddenly realized that being trained by Erza might be detrimental to her overall health.

"You need to get back into bed, young lady. You need your rest. Porlyusica said you should stay off that leg until she comes back to check on you in a few days," Erza said with a disapproving look, her brow raised. Lucy fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she knew Erza was right.

"I feel fine, honest," She said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She pushed against Natsu's hand, and hobbled off the stool with false confidence. "See? I can stand on my own."

As soon as the words left her lips, sharp pain shot up her leg and she bit back a whimper. She wobbled on her feet, determined to stay standing for at least ten more seconds. If she could make it out of the infirmary, she could stand on her own.

"Luce, get back over here and sit down before you pass out," Natsu ordered, hovering at her side with his arms at the ready. Lucy just swatted his hands away with a frown.

"I'm perfectly capable of standing on my own, thank you very much," She stated, ignoring the spasming in her good leg. Even Levy looked worried, the demi-fae hopping off her stool to stand near Lucy's other side in case she fell that way.

"I'm _fine_ I tell you! It wasn't _that_ bad. So I was passed out for a few days, I'm all rested up now," She stuttered, her balance wavering. Natsu huffed, then grabbed her waist and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Like hell it wasn't bad. Don't forget that I _saw_ what that bastard did to you," He argued. Words failed her as Natsu carried her, like a sack of potatoes, back to the infirmary.

"All of you go away, you can talk to her tomorrow," Natsu ordered. Lucy huffed, but allowed him to carry her away from her friends, choosing to wave goodbye from her perch on his shoulder. Levy was laughing, and Erza had a wide smile on her face. Mira came out of the kitchen right at that moment, choosing only to send Lucy a devious smile and a wave.

Natsu remained strangely silent as he burst into the infirmary and gently placed Lucy on her cot. He pulled the cot next to hers closer and sat down with a pensive look on his face. Lucy leaned forwards, awkwardly stretching her broken leg off to the side. She reached over and grabbed one of his hands, her thumb softly rubbing the back of his hand, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Natsu clenched his jaw, staring pointedly at her leg cast, and the bandages around her arm, then to her ribs, where more bandages wrapped tightly around her ribcage.

"I was too late," He murmured, placing his free hand on top of hers and locking their hands together. Lucy swallowed past the lump in her throat. The last thing she remembered from the fight with Phantom Lord was lying broken and bloody on the floor while Natsu burst into the room and held her in his arms. She knew how terrible she looked now, four days later. She couldn't imagine how she must've looked before.

"I'm okay now, you saved me," She said with a smile, using her free hand to lift his chin.

"Look at me. I know I'm a bit battered now, but I'll heal," She urged. Sure, her whole body was sore and throbbing in pain, but Natsu didn't need to know that.

"I was so scared. I thought you were dead, you were soaked in blood and so bent and broken," He stammered, leaning against her hand until she cupped his cheek. Lucy bit her lip, fighting the tears pooling in her eyes.

"I know, I'm sorry. I let myself get captured, then I provoked Jose like an idiot," She laughed. Natsu groaned and ran a hand through his hair. His shoulders perked up and he released Lucy's hand and reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a familiar keychain.

Lucy gasped and reached out to grab her keys from him, cupping them close to her heart. She could feel the metal heat in response to her touch, and knew that her spirits were relieved to be back in her hands.

"Thank you for taking care of them for me," She said.

"Yea, well you better not pull shit like that anytime soon. D'ya know how annoying it is to have those keys angry with you? For magical objects they sure do have an attitude," He complained. Lucy giggled, placing the keys next to her pillow.

"Still, thank you, Natsu. I don't know what I would've done without you." She smiled. Natsu sighed, and nodded. Lucy released a tired sigh and leaned back against the wall with closed eyes. She heard Natsu chuckle and say, "Your stubborn streak is gonna get you killed one day."

Lucy smiled and couldn't help but agree with him. Her body was certainly angry with her, too. She snuggled down under her blanket and rolled onto her side so she could look over at Natsu. Sleep pulled at her, tempting her to drift away into unconsciousness. She reached out and grabbed his hand again.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," She mumbled as her eyes drifted shut. The last thing she heard before falling asleep was Natsu's voice saying, "I'm the one who should be saying that."

 **Okay, so this turned into a meaty 7300 word monster...I hope y'all liked it! I didn't want to leave off on another cliff hanger, so a special extra long chapter it is! Soon we'll have some more keys enter the story and drama with Jude, so stay tuned!**

 **As always, I love hearing your thoughts so don't forget to leave a review, it really makes my day!**


	10. Chapter Ten

Bedrest was overrated. Lucy was sick and tired of laying uselessly in bed, having Mira bring her food and Levy visit to teach her about the demi-fae. Well, she didn't mind Levy's company, but she was a little tired of sneezing all the time while reading her dusty and ancient texts. The worst part about being stuck in one of the guild's guestrooms until Porlyusica deemed her healthy enough to go back to her own apartment, was Natsu's constant presence by her side. Sure, for the first day, she was happy to have his company, considering the dullness of having no functioning technology after Gramps and the higher mages replaced the wards around the guild.

When she'd first woken up, she wasn't completely aware of how the guild was magically rebuilt in the span of a few days, but Levy explained, saying the Magic Council had sent some mages over that specialized in rebuilding structures and Lucy figured she should've known there was a magic related answer.

It was on the second day after she emerged from her mini-coma that she met Juvia. To say she was surprised to see the woman that broke into her home and kidnapped her welcomed into the guild was an understatement, but once the water woman expressed her sincerest apologies and explained how abusive and manipulative Jose was, Lucy started to forgive her. At least it wasn't Gajeel begging for her forgiveness. She wasn't ready to face that demon just yet. His face haunted her nightmares and her body was still broken and bruised from that day. Thankfully, the only part of her not healed was the leg. Wendy would visit periodically and heal her more minor injuries bit by bit. The air drakon was wary to mess with her leg since Porlyusica had practiced some high-level spells to set the bone and muscle.

"Natsu, like I said, I'm fine. You can go! I'll survive a few hours without you," Lucy urged, waving her hands to dismiss the drakon from her bedside. It was the third day of bedrest, and the day that Porlyusica was supposed to return and finish up with her leg, and Lucy was impatiently waiting the healer's imminent arrival. She had the worst case of cabin fever, and Natsu wasn't helping with his constant hovering.

Natsu, who'd propped his feet up on the edge of her bed, shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head. Ever since her slight coma, he'd been extra overprotective and was practically glued to her bedside twenty-four hours a day, only leaving to return to his own home at night. To say she was anxious to return home and finally have time to herself was an understatement.

"Don't you dare fall asleep again! Go out with Happy, I know he's been wanting to go fishing," She implored, batting her eyelashes. Natsu just peeked over at her and rolled his eyes. "Happy always wants to go fishing."

"Isn't he your best friend? He misses you, I'll be fine," She said, running a hand through her golden hair while biting back a frustrated groan. She was perfectly capable of surviving without Natsu at her side for a few hours, despite what he thought.

"Hmm, maybe," He muttered.

"What about the party? I'm sure they'd love to see you down there, celebrating," She said, hoping the temptation of Mira's special fiery hot drumsticks would motivate the drakon to abandon his post and let her have some peace and quiet.

He just shrugged, choosing instead to pick at one of the many books at her bedside, courtesy of Levy. Lucy narrowed her eyes and declared, "That's it! I'm tired of this!"

Startled, Natsu jerked back in his chair, his balance wobbling for a few seconds before his chair regained balance. His feet jerked off her bed, shaking the mattress. He blinked cluelessly at her, concern in his gaze.

"Listen, you're a very good friend of mine and I'm forever grateful for how you saved my life, but I need some time alone! I can only handle so much Natsu! So, go out and fish with Happy, and when you get back, you can help me get back to my apartment." She said loudly. A flicker of hurt passed through his eyes, making her feel a sliver of guilt for being so harsh.

"If that's what you want," he said after a pause. She nodded and gave him a bright smile.

"I know you were worried before, but I'm okay. Go out and have fun," She said, reaching over to pat his arm. Natsu pouted, placed his hand over hers, then stood and hesitantly walked to the door. He paused, his hand on the handle, and lowered his head. She saw his shoulders tense, then he said, "I know I've been a little territorial, but I thought you were dead when I found you-" he paused, "you gave me your keys, Lucy. You didn't trust us enough to save you."

She paled, her mouth dropping open in shock. She had no idea Natsu felt that way. Speechless, she watched him leave her room, leaving her truly alone for the first time in days, save for when she slept. His words haunted her thoughts as she tried to focus on writing in her journal, that Levy had graciously brought to the guild along with clothes and anything else she needed from her apartment.

Groaning, she tossed the journal to the side and placed her head in her hands, her fingers curling through her hair. How could Natsu think she didn't trust Fairy Tail? Natsu was the person she trusted most and she gave him her keys to protect because she didn't trust _herself_. Hot tears dribbled down her cheeks and she bit her lip in frustration. In a normal situation, when she was this upset, she would simply sleep her troubles away, but unfortunately for her, sleep had proven to be an elusive creature as of late.

Memories haunted her subconscious at night. Nightmares terrorized her every night, each one leaving her waking with a scream in her throat and cold sweat coating her skin. She couldn't remember the last time she had a proper night's rest, but it was probably during her coma, which she didn't think really counted.

Instead of trying to rest, as she should, Lucy pulled out Leo's key and summoned the spirit for the first time since her abduction. She'd purposely been putting off summoning her friend, knowing he would lecture her about her reckless behavior. The moment he appeared, he threw his body over hers and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Lucy squeaked and winced in pain when his elbow bumped into her bruised ribs.

"Lucy! We were so worried!" Leo wailed, nosing into the crook of her neck. Lucy patted his hair and let him snuggle for a moment before she threw him off the bed and glared down at him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm fine," She said, pursing her lips to keep from smiling at Leo's cute, bewildered expression. The spirit stood, straightening his suit jacket, then fixed her with a stern glare.

"Don't ever do that again," He growled. Lucy felt a shiver crawl down her spine, and she clutched her keychain tighter in her fist. She nodded, glancing away from him. Leo's gaze softened and he perched on the edge of her bed, reaching out to stroke her hair.

"We all love you, more than you know," He murmured, leaning over to kiss her forehead. Lucy leaned into his touch, grateful for the fact that he didn't continue with a big lecture. Lucy had been starved of human contact ever since her mother died, and with Natsu and now Leo giving her constant attention she felt a piece of her heart begin to heal with each and every touch. Now that she had friends who cared for her, Lucy never wanted to feel alone ever again.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a social call. I have some questions to ask you," Lucy said. Leo nodded as if he expected as much from her summons. He warily looked her up and down, eyes narrowing at the bags under her eyes and the redness of her cheeks. She looked utterly exhausted.

"Anything, princess," He said with a flirty smile, grabbing her hand and pulling it to his lips for a tender kiss. Lucy just rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore his flirtatious attitude for now.

"Do you remember where my mother's keys are?" She asked, getting straight to the point. Leo nodded and said, "I think you already know where they are."

Lucy groaned and rubbed her temple. She peered at him through her fingers and nodded. "I had an idea, but I just don't know where exactly in the manor she would have left them."

"She left only three keys at the manor, and sent the others off across the country to protect them and you. I have an idea of where some of the golden keys are, but other than that I'm afraid I have no clue where your mother sent her spirits." Leo pushed his sunglasses up and shrugged. Lucy sighed. She dropped her head into her hands and let out a frustrated groan. Leo rubbed her hand with his thumb sympathetically and asked, "So what's the plan, princess?"

"Well, once I'm healed enough to travel, I'll go back to that cursed place and find my mother's keys. Plus, I have to set my _father-"_ She spat the word like it was a curse, "-straight and make sure he doesn't send anyone else after Fairy Tail," she concluded.

"With Natsu accompanying you I don't see how this plan can go south," Leo mused. Lucy bit her lip and pulled her hand from his grasp.

"Um, about that, I plan on going alone," she corrected nervously. Leo raised his brow in surprise.

"I don't think that's a good idea," He protested, but before he could say more Lucy pressed her finger against his lips and shushed him.

"I _have_ to do this alone," She said. Leo locked eyes with her, seemingly staring directly into her soul. To Lucy, he was like family. The only real family she had left from her past. They may have been parted for years because of her father's abusive meddling with her memories, but ever since that day she first touched his key, all her old feelings and memories returned, making the time they were parted seem like a hazy dream.

"I trust you. I'm not happy about it, but I trust you. And I'll be there if you need help," he finally said. Smiling, she thanked Leo and pulled him in for a hug. Wincing, Lucy pulled away and rubbed her aching temple. Leo gave her a knowing look, and she pouted.

"You should close my gate, Lucy. You still haven't fully recovered," he said sternly.

"I know, but I missed you," she whined. Leo smiled and ruffled her hair. She swatted his hands away with an indigent shout, to which he only laughed. Lucy knew she had to let him return to the Celestial Realm soon, since he was sapping away what little energy she had. Sighing, she reached out and grabbed his key, giving him one last smile before she closed his gate, the spirit giving her a low bow and a wink before disappearing.

Lucy's smile melted away and she was once again alone. Her room was silent and empty, and Lucy suddenly wished she hadn't sent Natsu away, despite his annoying possessive behavior. Frowning, she resigned herself to try and rest as the magical drain of summoning Leo for so long took its toll. Sleep pulled at her eyes, dragging them closed and lulled her mind into a deep slumber.

 **-oooo-**

 _Lucy had been dreaming of escape for as long as she could remember. Running out under the dark of night with only the light of the stars to guide her, leading her anywhere but the abusive hands of her father. She dreamed of walking side by side with her mother in a field of lilies, her hands brushing against the soft petals and the sweet, floral scent tickling her nose, the sun shining down and casting a warm glow upon the meadow. She could almost see the golden gleam of her mother's hair in the sunlight, almost hear her laugh, almost feel her arms wrapping around her. But, almost wasn't enough._

 _At sixteen, she ditched the daydreams and began to craft a meticulous plan of escape. She knew she'd only have one chance to flee her father's all-consuming reach, and planned her mad dash to land on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, when_ he _couldn't come after her. Unfortunately, fate had never been kind to her, so why should it start now._

 _Christmas Eve of that year forever scarred the holiday for Lucy Heartfilia. Ever since her mother passed, the Heartfilia home hadn't hosted a single party, not even for her birthday's. Although, that never stopped Lucy from hiding in the kitchens with the staff and feasting on left overs and laughing over silly stories of times long since passed. But that night, an unwelcome presence crashed their joyous celebrations._

 _She didn't remember much, only the sound of the door slamming shut and the silence that followed until her father banished the staff from the house in the middle of the night. She couldn't remember the last time her father looked so furious. In truth, rebellious teenage fantasies had taken root in her young mind, and she made the mistake of talking back when Jude scolded her for enjoying the company of such "lower creatures." Until this night, Lucy only had to fear Jude's words. Until this night, the worst that would happen was being locked in a dark closet for a day without food or water._

 _"They're the only friends I have, no thanks to you," She snapped, interrupting him and pouring salt in the metaphorical wound to his ego. Instead of red hot fury, Jude's features relaxed until he bore a serene expression. It was then that she smelled the whiskey on his breath, noticed the empty bottle in his hand. Jude marched towards her and Lucy was frozen in fear like a deer in the headlights. A part of her thought he would never lay a hand against her, his own daughter. She soon learned she was wrong._

 _Jude whipped the whiskey bottle against her head, shattering the glass against her skull and sending her toppling to the ground, a shower of glass shards ripping through her skin. She screamed and clutched at her head, her hands quickly becoming soaked with her blood. Black spots dotted her vision, and when looking back at this night she would wish his initial strike would have knocked her unconscious._

 _"Ungrateful bitch! You know nothing about what I have done for this family!" He screamed, kicking at her prone body repeatedly. Lucy curled into a ball, her hands covering the slice in her scalp. She felt something in her chest crack and her breath fled from her lungs with a choked gasp. Coughing, she remained curled up on the kitchen floors, shaking. Jude huffed, tossing the remains of the bottle on her shivering form, then stumbled out of the room._

 _She couldn't bring her body to move. She cried, great sobs that shook her body, and stayed on the kitchen floor until she was lulled into unconsciousness by the pounding in her head._

 _When she woke, the sun had risen but the cooks or the maids hadn't arrived. She pried her hands out of the puddle of dried blood, feeling her mind go numb as she stared at her reflection in the glass doors. She winced and clutched her chest as it pulsed with pain when she moved. Wheezing, she managed to pull herself up to her room and peel the blood-soaked clothes from her body. For the next few hours, she plucked every shard of glass from her skin with her tweezers, and after the first dozen she became used to the sting as the glass cut her flesh. The next few days passed in a blur. Her father never came to see her, and nobody else was in the house. She took care of her injuries as best she could, fed herself from the scraps in the kitchen, and waited until she was healed enough to climb down her trellis._

 _A week after her father beat her and left her lying on the ground alone in the cold, she packed up whatever she could carry, broke into his office to steal a few thousand jewels in cash, then climbed down from her window and walked down the long driveway leading to the manor._

 _When she reached the great wrought iron gates that imprisoned her for so long, she was overcome by a wave of emotion. She glanced back at her childhood home, choosing what little memories she had of her mother and discarding the rest. The gate had been left unlocked by the staff after they left that horrid night, and Lucy simply walked out of the gates with her head held high, determined never to see them or the man that used to be her father ever again._

 **-oooo-**

Lucy woke drenched in a cold sweat, her limbs shaking and her body aching. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and groaned when she saw she'd only been asleep for a little over an hour. Nightmares and memories plagued her once again. She knew she should consult with Mira about any sleep aids, but that meant she would have to talk about _why_ she couldn't sleep and Lucy didn't think she was ready for that just quite yet.

After hobbling over to the adjacent bathroom and splashing some cold water on her face, Lucy returned to her bed to wait for Porlyusica's arrival. The healer was already late, and she didn't know when to expect her grouchy presence. Thankfully, a few moments after the thought passed her mind, the door slammed open and the scowling woman strolled through the doorway followed by Wendy. Lucy smiled, eagerly welcoming the duo into her room.

Porlyusica wasted no time and immediately pressed against Lucy's forehead until she lay flat against the mattress. She then summoned a wave of healing energy and passed her hand over Lucy's body, her scowl deepening. She placed her hands on her leg and Lucy felt a warm tingling sensation from underneath the cast. She resisted the urge to squirm, knowing Porlyusica would yell if she did. Wendy watched from behind the old woman, an entranced shine in her young eyes. Porlyusica continued to imbue her leg with healing energy for a few more minutes, then she nodded and straightened.

"You're fine now. Wendy will remove the cast and follow up with general care over the next few weeks until you are completely healed. Somehow you healed a lot faster than you should've, being a demi-fae," Porlyusica grumbled, casting a curious glance at Lucy before storming from the room, mumbling something about useless creatures and returning to her cottage in the woods. Lucy called out her thanks, hoping Porlyusica managed to hear her words before she disappeared.

"Sorry about that, Porlyusica can be a little grumpy when she has to come out to the guild," Wendy said with a nervous smile. Lucy waved away the girl's concern, instead asking, "So you're gonna take this massive thing off my leg and then I can go back to my apartment?"

Wendy giggled and nodded. Lucy sat up, eager to stand on her own without the damned plaster wrapped around her entire leg. Wendy simply tapped a few points along the length of the cast and blew a breath of air. A long line cracked through the length of the cast, and after a moment it simply popped open and crumbled away into dust.

"I'll never get over how magic can do this kind of thing," Lucy mumbled. She reached down and scratched her bare skin for the first time in days, a pleased groan rumbling in her throat. She massaged the wrinkled skin and brushed away any dust.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to just give you a quick check before you leave and make sure your ribs and shoulder are still okay," Wendy said softly, her hands wringing together nervously.

"If it'll get me out of this room, feel free," Lucy laughed. Wendy swiftly conducted her check-up and gave her the all clear. Grinning, Lucy decided to eat her dinner down in the tavern with the rest of the guild.

By the time she made it down the stairs- which proved to be harder than she thought, given that her leg was still sore and stiff as a board- the guild members of Fairy Tail were already in full party mode. Ever since she woke up after they defeated Phantom Lord and after the guild's supply stores were replenished, there had been a never-ending celebration. She wished she could've been a part of it earlier, but she was happy just to be on her own two feet for the moment.

Cana was having a drinking contest with most of the guild, or rather a brutal demonstration of her drinking skills. It seemed like half of the guild was passed out drunk at her feet already. Currently, she was going shot for shot with Elfman, a cocky smirk on her lips. The enormous man was already swaying in his seat and it was clear he wouldn't last much longer. Happy was flying above the reverie, following Charle with a large fish in his hands. Jet and Droy sat at the bar with Levy, the trio laughing gleefully as they listened to Wakaba and Macao bicker.

Lucy made her way to her usual barstool, and waved to Mira, who was balancing a large tray of drinks on one hand effortlessly. The barmaid swiftly handed out the drinks then make her way over to Lucy, reaching over the bar to grab her hand and say, "I'm so glad you're out of bed! I would have visited, but we've been pretty busy the past few days."

"No worries! I had _plenty_ of company," Lucy drawled, reflecting on Natsu's territorial behavior around her the past few days. Mira gave her a knowing smile, and pulled a plate of mini-sandwiches out from under the bar and passed a couple over to the blonde, who gratefully began to munch on the snack.

"Natsu gets like that sometimes. It's a part of his dragon heritage, something about having a horde. I'm sure the scare you gave him after disappearing _twice_ in the same two days is what's making him so possessive," Mira explained, pulling out a bottle of lemonade to pass to Lucy. "He's lost a lot of people in his life before, so I'm sure this war brought up some terrible memories for him. I know that you're the only person he's bonded with so strongly, besides Happy."

Lucy hummed thoughtfully and sipped at the sweet drink. She cringed when she realized that Natsu and the others had gone through hell too, all because of her. Guilt crawled up her throat and she swallowed thickly past the lump in her throat.

"I'm so sorry Mira, for bringing this on all of you," She whispered. The barmaid burst into laughter and exclaimed, "You are a part of the family now! This is what we do for each other, we never give up and we always protect one another."

Lucy blinked back tears and smiled brightly. She vehemently agreed, knowing in her soul that she would sacrifice her very life for her newfound family.

"Thank you so much, you have no idea how much that means to me," Lucy said, wiping her eyes. Mira just reached over and placed a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder before she was whisked away to provide more alcoholic beverages to the patrons of Fairy Tail. After she left, Lucy found her eyes wandering the crowd, searching for a tuft of pink hair amongst the partygoers. For the moment, she was content to sit on the sidelines and watch as Cana drank everyone under the table and listen in on some of the stories being shared.

She was drawn out of her daydreams when Gray hopped onto the stool next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her in for a half-hug. Lucy jerked in surprise, but then melted into his embrace.

"I'm glad you're okay, we were worried," He muttered. Lucy apologized for making them all worry, and pinched his bare torso, "Gray, where are your clothes?"

The shirtless man just shrugged. His skin was refreshingly cool against her skin and Lucy wasn't surprised that the ice user was cold to the touch. She briefly thought about asking Gray what his magical heritage was out of curiosity, but ultimately decided against it for politeness sake.

"Happy to see you aren't a cripple anymore," Gray said with a breathy laugh before removing his arm and instead propping his chin against his palm.

"No worries, Fullbuster, even as a cripple I'm sure I could take you down," Lucy teased, drawing a guffaw from the man beside her. Smiling, he reached over and grabbed her lemonade from her hand and took a long swig of the beverage.

Lucy feigned offense, her mouth dropping open with a melodramatic gasp, her hand clutched to her chest.

"Why I don't believe that drink belonged to you, sir," She said with a mournful shake of her head. Smirking, Gray just took another long drink and handed the bottle back. Smiling, Lucy reached out and drunk from the bottle again, not caring that her friend had just done the same.

It was then that she felt a cold shiver travel down her spine and heard a demonic whisper echo in her ear, " _Love rival…"_

Stiffening, Lucy turned and saw a dark aura surrounding a familiar woman standing in the darkest corner of the room. Gray blanched and quickly used his hand to point Lucy's face away from the growling woman.

"Gray, why is Juvia glaring at us?" She asked, her voice low. Sweat beaded at his brow and he stuttered for an answer.

"W-well, Juvia's seemed to have taken a liking to me, ever since we fought together against Phantom Lord and she won't leave me alone," He stuttered.

Lucy laughed so hard she almost spewed lemonade from her nose. Gray had a stalker, and that was hilarious.

"I mean, if you like her so much I guess I can forgive her," Lucy said after she calmed down. Gray raised a brow and whistled.

"If it were me in your situation, I don't think I could forgive her," He said with a shake of his head.

"At least it isn't Gajeel begging for my forgiveness and trying to join the guild, I don't think I could ever forgive him for what he did to Levy and Jet and Droy," Lucy said, munching on another miniature sandwich.

"What about what he did to you?" Gray blurted, cringing the moment the question left his mouth. Lucy paled, and her lips formed a tight line.

"He seemed, reluctant. He even apologized to me as he was beating me like a drum. And I think he stopped when he did despite Jose's orders because he couldn't bring himself to harm me anymore, not that there was much left of me anyway," She mused, thinking back to the guilt shining in his red eyes. He may haunt her nightmares, but Lucy knew somewhere inside, Gajeel truly did not want to hurt her. Nevertheless, she could feel the beginnings of a panic attack as her thoughts turned back to that horrible night. Her heart started to pound and her hands began to shake uncontrollably. She clenched her fists together and took a shaky breath.

Gray sighed, standing and opening his arms and pulling Lucy off the stool and into his cold embrace. "Don't get any ideas, I just know that contact helps with panic attacks."

Her lips twitched at his embarrassed tone, but he was right. When his arms tightened around her waist she felt her breath even out and her heartbeat start to return to a normal pace. She vaguely heard another growl echo from Juvia, but couldn't bring herself to care. She burrowed her face in Gray's chest, grateful for his thoughtfulness.

She pulled away after a moment, when she finally calmed down enough to return to her seat. Gray cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, a pink flush tinting his cheeks. Lucy could still feel Juvia's intense stare, but she chose to ignore the strange woman.

She reached over for another snack sized sandwich, but before she could take a bite, Natsu intercepted the snack and took a bite right out of her hand, appearing seemingly out of midair. Lucy made a startled noise, nearly dropping the remaining half of the sandwich, and then glared at the pinkette.

"Thesh are goodsh," he said in between bites, a smile on his face. He took a seat on the other side of Lucy and reached over for her lemonade, emptying the contents down his gullet.

"Natsu, that was rude," She exclaimed, swatting his upper arm. He just shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She rolled her eyes, choosing to let his behavior slide for now. It was a good thing Erza was busy trying to get Cana to stop giving the rest of the guild alcohol poisoning.

"Since you're back on two legs again, does that mean the old hag gave you a clean bill of health?" Natsu asked, scooting closer and sniffing around her head.

"Yup! I'm all good to go back to my own apartment and Wendy will be giving me some check-ups every once in a while," she said with a bright smile.

"Oh, that reminds me, would you two mind helping me move my stuff back into my place?" She turned to Gray, who just nodded. She felt Natsu's chin drop onto her shoulder and looked down to see a pout on his face before he puffed a cloud of smoke in Gray's face, then screamed, "Fight me, you icy bastard!"

The next thing she knew the entire guild had turned into a brawling ground. First, Natsu tackled Gray, who bumped into Warren, who fell on the table where Cana was drinking, spilling her precious barrel of alcohol. Before anyone knew what was happening, the fighting broke out across the tavern floor, leaving Lucy watching from the side with a small smile.

"Damn, now I'll have to reorder more furniture," Mira sighed, watching mournfully as Elfman rose from his drunken state to lift two of the large tables in each hand and smack them down on Natsu and Gray, screaming about being a man.

"I missed this," Lucy said quietly, watching with love in her gaze. Any normal person would think she was insane, enjoying watching her friends beat each other up, but they didn't know how things worked in Fairy Tail. Here, we show love with our fists.

Her thoughts turned to what she knew she'd have to do the next day, and her smile melted away, the light in her eyes dimmed. She absentmindedly rubbed her thumb over Leo's warm key, taking comfort in the fact that she wouldn't be truly alone on her quest. She knew Natsu and Erza would hate her for leaving, and she didn't want to think about how Levy would feel, after what they went through with Gajeel.

Lucy chose to sit at the bar for the rest of the night and memorize each and every person's faces, the sound of their laughter, the way they smiled, so she would have something to hold on to during the trials ahead.

 **-oooo-**

 **Finally! an update! I hope y'all enjoyed this filler chapter, and soon to come is Jude Heartfilia, the bastard. I only gave this a quick read through before posting, so please forgive any typos or mistakes.**

 **As always, please review! Thanks so much! 3**


	11. Chapter Eleven

The towering wrought iron gates loomed over her, seemingly more intimidating than the last time she saw them, years ago. Lucy Heartfilia swallowed past the lump in her throat, her knuckles turning stark white against the dark leather of her bag in her hand.

She swore she would never return to this wretched place, but now here she was, breaking her vow. She stepped up to the screen off to the side of the gates, attached to the brick walls, and pressed the "call" button. A light turned green, then the screen lit up, revealing the familiar face of the Chief of Staff at the manor, Miss Spetto.

The stout, dark haired woman had aged severely, her hair streaked with gray and wrinkles creasing her once smooth skin. The woman's eyes widened when she saw Lucy through the camera, and before she had a chance to say anything Lucy announced, "I am Lucy Heartfilia, and I have come to see my father."

 **-ooooo-**

 _"Papa, where's mama going?" The little girl asked, watching as the men carried the coffin containing her mother's body into the dark mausoleum. Her father glared down at her and sneered, ignoring her question. Instead, he walked into the mausoleum and disappeared into the shadows._

 _The girl wanted to follow her father, but the stone building was dark and scary, and strange sounds echoed from within the stony depths. Miss Spetto, the household maid, placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and guided her away and into the town car loitering at the gates of the cemetery._

 _"Miss Spetto, why is mama in that box?" The girl asked. She was too young to notice the way the maid wiped away a stray tear and hid her sorrow behind a wavering smile, too weak to fool anyone but a small child._

 _"Mrs. Heartfilia is in the heavens now, dancing among the stars," The woman answered. The girl tilted her head up towards the blushing sky, filled with the reds and oranges of the setting sun._

 _"I want to dance in the stars with mama. I can't hear my friends anymore," The girl murmured. Before she could ask about why her friends in the sky had left her, the girl's face went blank. She blinked, then looked back up at the maid and said, "Are we having chicken noodle soup for dinner?"_

 _Spetto frowned and gently stroked the girl's hair, unable to catch the tears that fell from her eyes._

 _"Miss Spetto! Why are you crying?" The girl asked, tugging at the woman's coat in concern. Spetto just wiped away the tears and pushed the girl into the back of the car._

 _"I'm so sorry for what he did to you, Lucy," She said quietly before shutting the car door, leaving the girl alone in the dark._

 **-ooooo-**

Lucy was greeted by the staff in the parlor, each of her old friends exchanging heartfelt greetings. She tried to return their enthusiasm for her return, but could only muster a tense smile. She was then told to go to her room to change into more appropriate clothing and to await her father's summons.

The familiar surroundings brought only pain. Now that she remembered her true past, Lucy kept seeing glimpses of her mother from her memories as she walked through the massive house. When she entered her old room, the memories of her father's torment returned with full force, sending her crumpling to her knees.

The canopy bed was in the same spot against the wall, and the great windows overlooking the gardens were crowded with stacks of books and stuffed animals. Shivering, Lucy pounded her fists against the tiled floor in the hopes that the pain would return her to the present and help keep the panic attacks at bay.

Shuddering, she rose to her feet and stumbled on shaky legs to her closet. When she opened the double doors leading into the room, her breath left with a silent gasp. Instead of the old clothes she'd abandoned when she ran away, the closet was filled to the brim with modern designer clothes that looked to be her current size.

A hot tear rolled down her cheek. She was a fool to think she could ever be truly free from Jude's influence. He must have had eyes on her from the beginning, how else would he have known that she'd joined Fairy Tail, or known what size clothes to buy.

 **-ooooo-**

 _"Oi, Luce, are ya sure you don't want Happy and me to stay with ya?" Natsu asked, running a hand through his pink locks. Lucy smiled at him, grateful for his concern._

 _"Don't worry, I'll be fine," She said, wishing her voice didn't shake when she spoke. Natsu just raised a disbelieving brow, accusing her with his eyes._

 _"Okay so yes, I'm a little nervous since the last time I was here I was kidnapped, but that's in the past now and I have to get over it. This is my home. Fairy Tail is my home," She said, glancing around the familiar layout of her apartment and consciously deciding to push past her fears._

 _"If you say so," He said with a shrug._

 _"I do say so, now get going. I have some sleeping to do," She said, pushing him towards her front door. Despite her best efforts, and her considerable new strength, Natsu barely budged an inch. Groaning, she doubled her efforts, trying to get the man to leave her apartment to no avail._

 _She stopped, taking a deep breath when her ribs ached painfully from the exertion. Natsu just stared down at her with an unidentifiable intensity in his gaze. She felt her cheeks flush and she nervously pushed her hair behind her ear, only for a few stray strands to fall back into her face._

 _"What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked, bringing a hand up to pat at her cheeks. Natsu just tilted his head, then pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. She made a surprised sound in her throat, but relaxed into the embrace. She wrapped her arms around his torso, one hand absentmindedly ruffling the soft hair at the nape of his neck._

 _"You're gonna be safe now. No more disappearing," He whispered, his breath tickling her ear. Lucy just nuzzled into the crook of his neck, hoping he couldn't feel her guilt. Natsu nosed her hair, then stepped back and said with a bright smile, "I'll see ya tomorrow!"_

 _He bounded through the door, and she was grateful for his speedy retreat. Lucy knew she couldn't muster the strength to try and smile. She lowered her head and rubbed her temple._

 _"Sorry, Natsu. I'm afraid I'll have to disappear just one more time," She whispered into the empty air._

 **-ooooo-**

Lucy smoothed the silky fabric of her billowing skirt, wrinkling her nose in disdain. None of the skirts in her closet were shorter than knee-length, and all the shirts had high collars. Sighing, she pulled at the tight collar around her neck and waited for one of the servants to escort her to see her father. She made sure to tie her keys to a garter around her thigh, something she had brought with her specifically for that reason. Wringing her hands together, she focused on the task at hand and tried to find the words to say to her father when she finally saw him. She had too many questions that needed answering, like what his magical creature heritage was, and Layla's.

There was a knock at the door, followed by Miss Spetto's voice calling through the wood, announcing that her father would see her now. Lucy took a deep breath to calm her nerves, which did not work that well, and opened the door.

Her father was seated in his oversized office chair, behind a desk full of papers and folders. He continued to write on a stack of forms for a few moments, not even acknowledging her presence. She could feel her body tense and her heart thudding heavily in her chest. Her magic thrummed to the surface of her skin in reaction to her emotional turmoil, and her skin started tingle and glow. Cursing under her breath, Lucy focused on making her skin return to normal, hoping her father hadn't noticed the brief shine.

Luckily for her, he still hadn't glanced up from his paperwork. She narrowed her eyes and tried not to scowl. She was only moderately successful. It appears nothing had changed. He would work diligently and silently in his office, leaving Lucy locked in a huge house with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

"I see you have decided to return from your foolish 'adventure' in the world," Her father finally said, his tone full of contempt. She inhaled sharply, but before she could respond he said, "I have found a suitable match for you that will greatly benefit the company."

He talked of marriage like it was a business contract and he _still_ had not looked up from his desk. Nothing had changed, he was still the cruel man from her childhood.

"Why did you erase my memories?" She asked. Lucy had come to see Jude for answers about her past and her mother, nothing more. If she had to play dress-up just to get an audience with him, so be it. But she would not stand idly by while he tried to sell her like some prized heifer to the highest bidder.

"You were an unruly child, but that doesn't matter now." He finally looked up from his desk, looking her up and down with a stern gaze, his eyes narrowing when he saw her pointed ears and the golden flakes of light in her eyes.

"The Heartfilia family has fae ancestry, but that world is not for you or me anymore. The human world is much more suited to my family. Our blood is thinned and _tainted_ ," He sneered, his glare intense enough to make Lucy feel like it burned her skin.

"What do you mean tainted?" She asked quietly, clenching her fists at her side, not noticing the heat emanating from her body.

"None of that matters now. All you need to know is that you are to marry the eldest son of the Straight family next week," He said brusquely.

"Next week? You expect me to marry someone I don't even know?" She exclaimed in disbelief, her fists starting to glow with a golden light. Her father just glowered at her, his gaze flitting to her flickering hands.

"If you keep trying to rebel like an immature _child,_ I can always make sure that silly guild you joined is destroyed for good this time." He threatened. Lucy's vision went white. Memories of Levy's broken body and Erza standing before the great Jupiter canon filled her head, and her wounds from Gajeel's abuse started to ache.

A blast of heat and light exploded from her chest, sending the papers on the desk flying and bursting into flames from the heat. She radiated pure light and bursts of pure magical energy flared from her skin, burning everything they touched.

"You will never hurt my family ever again!" She screamed at her father, who was frozen in his chair with a horrified expression. Lucy clenched her teeth and reeled her magic back in, smiling when the ropes of energy responded and dissolved away. She really was getting better at controlling her magical outbursts, and a flash of pride filled her.

"Listen to me very closely. You are the one who misunderstands. I am not here to 'return to the family,' I want nothing to do with you ever again. I am here because I was lied to and abused for my entire life and I want answers. If you won't tell me what happened to mom, or what I am, I'll just have to find out on my own," she took a few steps forward, her eyes smoldering with blazing glory.

"You _stole_ my memories, _stole_ my heritage, and nearly beat me to death! You kept me locked away in the cursed house and never once treated me like a human being. You hunted me down like a dog and tried to kidnap me all for a business deal! You tried to have my new family killed, and I was nearly killed by that bastard you hired to do the job, but I don't think that matters to you, I was never anything but a tool for you to use whenever you wanted." She spat, an aura of light hovering above her skin. She grimaced and shook her head.

"I'll ask you once: what happened to my mother and what am I?" She asked, glaring down at the man she used to call father. Jude sneered and slowly rose from his seat.

"You are nothing but a _mistake_ that killed your mother. Because she gave birth to you, she _died_. You are a monster, something not meant to exist in this world. You may have my blood but you will never be a true Heartfilia as long as that cursed starlight is flowing through your veins," He hissed. Lucy took a step back in shock. She had never seen anyone look at her with such hatred before. Tears filled her eyes and she bit her lip.

"You were never a father to me, you aren't even capable of loving anyone anymore. I'm leaving, and if you ever so much as _think_ about coming after me or my family again, I will kill you," She swore. She placed her hand on the garter around her thigh beneath her skirt and mentally called for Leo.

There was a shine of golden light and the clamoring of bells, then Leo appeared at her side, his arms crossed and a deep growl rumbling from his chest. He snarled and glared at the man standing behind the desk.

"Hello again, Jude," He growled with a glare. Jude blinked and stumbled a step backwards in shock.

"I have a family now, and they will protect me just as fiercely as I will protect them. I never want to see you ever again, you aren't a father to me," She said, turning with a flourish of her billowing skirt and stalking out of the room, slamming the door hard enough for the wood to splinter and the walls to shake. Leo followed her down the hall back to her old room, choosing to remain silent while she fumed.

The moment her bedroom door closed behind her, the tears that had been building started to fall and she clutched her face as her cries shook her body. Leo came up behind her and pulled her in for a warm hug, murmuring comforts in her ear and rubbing her back until she calmed down.

"Let's find those keys and get the hell out of here," She sniffled. Leo placed his chin on the top of her head and hummed in agreement. Lucy quickly gathered the few things she'd brought with her, changed back into her normal clothes, and snagged a few childhood mementos from her dresser. She grabbed a photo of her mother that she'd left the first time she fled from the manor and gently placed it in her bag.

"Let's find those keys," She stated, strutting from her old room with her friend at her side.

The first place they went was her mother's old studio. The room hadn't been disturbed in years, not even Jude returning after Layla's death. Lucy ran her finger across the old paintings and supplies scattered through the room, the dust tickling her nose. Leo strode over to where a large canvas was propped up against the wall with a tarp covering it.

"This was the last thing your mother ever painted," He whispered, gently pulling at the tarp to reveal the painting. Lucy walked up to the canvas, her mouth dropping open in awe. It was an image of her, as a young woman, surrounded by shimmering aura of light and floating in space.

"How did she know what I would look like?" Lucy asked. Leo smiled sadly and said, "Because of your mother's connection to the stars above, she would sometimes be gifted with visions."

Lucy stroked the painting, marveling at the vivid colors and thick brushstrokes. She looked like a star up in the sky, shining bright and bringing light to those on earth. Her father's words combined with the reading she and Levy had done into her magic started gears of thought to turn in her head.

 _"…cursed starlight" …. heavenly magic…_

"Leo," she started, tugging firmly at his sleeve while she stared at the painting and pausing for a moment before asking, "am I a literal star?"

Leo smiled and nodded, his shoulders sagging in relief. He looked like a burden had just been lifted off his shoulders.

"You are indeed a child of the stars. I would have told you earlier but your mother ordered all of us to stay silent until you figured it out for yourself," he explained. She gaped in shock and asked, "How is that even possible? Stars are balls of burning gas in the sky."

"Well, stars have souls, and when a star falls to earth, it becomes something called a Starchild. Your grandmother, Anna, was a pure fallen star, and her starlight has been passed down to you. It is because you were born from a star that you can summon the Celestial spirits. I guess you could say we're your distant cousins," Leo laughed.

"So, I'm like, part of a star?" She asked incredulously, running a hand through her hair.

"Yes and no, it's complicated. When a Starchild gives birth to a daughter, she gives her daughter all her starlight," Leo answered. He paused, biting his lip nervously.

"It means that if a Starchild has a daughter, the mother is drained of energy as her child grows, eventually dying. Starlight is what keeps a star alive on Earth, and it can be stolen," he explained. Lucy tensed.

"You mean, my mother died because of me?" She stuttered. Leo grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look deep into his eyes.

"Listen to me, Lucy. Your mother loved you so much. She wanted you so badly that she didn't care if she would die for you, she saw it as an honorable sacrifice to be able to have you," Leo said, his eyes darkening. "If she wasn't wounded from before, she would have lived another decade, until you reached magical maturity."

Lucy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's a long story, that I'll explain once we're back at Fairy Tail, but the short version is that your mother had some of her starlight stolen before you were born, and now that you've matured, the starlight has returned to you and that man will be searching for you to steal it back." Leo said darkly. Lucy bit her lip, but nodded slowly. She trusted Leo to explain, and it seemed like something to share with her friends at Fairy Tail.

"Fine, I'll wait. Let's hurry back," She said. Leo smiled, his shoulders sagging in relief. He nodded over to the table with her mother's tools. Lucy walked over to the table, and as she approached she could feel a familiar string pulling at her heart and connecting to a silver box sitting next to a paint palette. Entranced, she reached over and touched the box, which clicked open when her skin met the cool metal just like when she found Leo's key.

She pulled the box closer and smiled down at the two shimmering golden keys gently placed inside. She heard the whispering of voices in her head chime happily when she picked up the keys and attached them to her keyring.

"Sagittarius and Cancer," She murmured, the keys warming in her palm when she spoke their names. Her lips parted in a brilliant smile and she almost forgot about where she was.

"Let's hurry, before my father decides to do something stupid," She said, pulling Leo out of the studio with a last glance over at the paintings scattered through the studio. When Lucy closed the door, she said goodbye to her mother and the memories of the house from her childhood.

"I think I know where the other keys are," Lucy said as they walked out of the front door of the manor, after saying a quick goodbye to the staff. She could feel another string of magic pulling her away from the house, and immediately knew where the other keys were hidden.

When they finally reached the Heartfilia graveyard located at the edge of the grounds, the sun had sunk low in the sky. Lucy could feel the drain of having Leo present for so long, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. She could probably keep him summoned for a few more hours at this rate.

"Hey mama," Lucy said, her voice catching in her throat. She knelt in the soft grass in front of her mother's gravestone, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. She reached out and placed a hand against the cool stone, her fingers tracing the letters engraved in the tombstone:

 _Layla Heartfilia,_

 _beloved mother and wife._

 _From the stars she fell, and to the stars she will return._

Her mother's grave was elegant and simple. Smooth black stone sloped gently upwards and curved at the top from a thick base with silver constellations adorning the rounded top of the gravestone.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while, I had to leave him. But I'm back now, and I brought Leo. I'm finally learning about our magic and I've made some great new friends," her voice cracked and she quickly wiped away a stray tear.

"You'd love them. I really wish you were here with me, mama," She cried, her fingers curling against the stone. A flare of magic crackled through the stone and shot up her arm. Lucy jerked back in shock, and watched in awe as the largest star at the center of the gravestone began to glow.

The star slowly inched out away from the gravestone and revealed a small hidden compartment in the stone. Lucy reached past the stone star, which was still glowing, and pulled out a linen parcel. The star dimmed and returned to its spot in the stone.

Lucy slowly unwrapped the fabric and revealed two more golden keys, Virgo and Aquarius. One warmed gently when she picked it up and she could feel a gentle presence in her mind. The other, pulsed with a burning heat when Lucy tried to pick it up, scorching her skin. Lucy yelped and dropped the key, wincing at the angry buzzing that filled her head.

"Aquarius has never been the nicest," Leo chuckled. She just rolled her eyes and grabbed the key again, refusing to let it go even as it burned her flesh.

"I remember you," She said softly, smiling down at the key. The angry presence calmed and the key cooled down to a low simmer. Lucy happily placed the two new keys on her keyring and said, "I'll summon all of you when I get back home."

Home. The word never held so much meaning before. Her "home" had always been wherever she was at the time, never a fixed place with people who loved her. Smiling, she linked her arm with Leo's and together they walked out of the private cemetery.

Right as she walked through the wrought iron gates of the manor, a blur of blue fur flew straight into her chest and knocked her to the ground.

"Luuuuuuushhhhiiiiii!" Happy cried, nuzzling into her chest. She gasped in surprise, wondering how he managed to find her.

"Happy? What are you doing here?" She asked, clutching him in one arm and holding the other out for Leo to grab so he could help her back to her feet.

"Levy found out where you lived and Erza brought us here!" He exclaimed.

"Us?" Lucy asked, looking up to see some of her friends running up the long driveway. The light from the sun glinted against Erza's armor, and she could see Natsu's pink hair bouncing as he ran towards her. She spotted a shirtless Gray jogging behind the other two.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked as they grew closer. Erza slowed and stopped in front of Lucy, pulling the blonde in for a painful embrace against her armored chest.

"We were worried about you when you disappeared," the Valkyrie said. Lucy pulled away from Erza's tight grip and let Happy fly out of her arms, the poor Exceed was almost crushed to death between her and Erza.

"You guys didn't have to come after me, I was gonna come back," She said with a smile. Natsu hovered off to the side, his arms crossed and brow drawn down over his eyes. Gulping, Lucy instead chose to greet Gray as he reached the group.

"We're your family now, and family doesn't run off to the man that tried to kidnap you all on your own," Gray grumbled, slinging an arm around her shoulders and rubbing his free hand through her hair, creating a bird's nest at the top of her head. She swatted away his hands and tried to tame her tangled locks.

"I had to do this on my own," She said. Gray nodded, and Lucy knew that he understood why she'd left on her own, unlike the others.

"Still, we should've come with you. You're still injured, and this man hired Phantom Lord to kidnap you," Erza stated firmly. Lucy resisted the urge to cower like a frightened school girl being scolded by her teacher.

"I'm sorry for making you all worry, but I'm fine," She said, glancing over at Natsu, who hadn't said anything or moved. The drakon glared at her, smoke curling from his nostrils. Lucy bit her lip and cautiously approached him, an apology in her eyes.

"Natsu, I'm sorry for leaving you," she said softly. She really did feel guilty for not telling Natsu about her plans, but she knew if she told him what she was going to do, he would come with her hand try to beat up Jude.

Natsu just simmered, huffing a puff of smoke and sparks. Lucy stepped closer to the drakon, until they were practically nose-to-nose. She peered up at him, and reached up to swipe his bangs out of his eyes without even realizing the intimacy of the action.

"Do you think you can forgive me?" She asked quietly. Natsu stared down at her for a moment, his gaze softening, a gentle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and pulled her in to a warm hug. Lucy wound her arms around his waist and giggled when he blew hot air in her face.

"'Course I forgive you, weirdo," He said into her hair. Lucy stepped back, looking at her friends with a bright smile.

"Honestly, I'm glad you guys showed up," she said, "It wasn't easy telling him off."

Natsu nodded, staying near her side. Lucy unconsciously leaned into his warmth, relishing in the comfort his aura brought.

"I have so much to tell you all," She said, meeting Leo's gaze. He nodded and announced, "We have a lot to talk about."

"Well, then let's go home," Natsu said with a shrug. Grinning, Lucy linked her right arm with Natsu and her left with Leo.

"Yea, let's go home. To Fairy Tail," She said gleefully.

 **-ooooo-**

 **I hope you guys liked this dramatic and angsty chapter, and as always I'd love to hear from you all so don't be afraid to leave a review! They really make my day tbh.**

 **Stay tuned for more answers about what it means to be a Starchild and for the next arc!**

 *****quick update, I forgot to put Virgo instead of Cancer for the grave keys, so she should have Virgo, Aquarius, Cancer, and Sagittarius now! Thanks to the reviewer who caught my mistake!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

"Natsu I swear to the heavens if you ruin this job for us," Lucy growled, waving a finger in the destructive drakons face threateningly. Natsu just rolled his eyes.

"When have I _ever_ ruined a job?" He asked. Gray burst into laughter, and even Erza smiled.

"Let's see, the last time, you blew up the city hall of that tiny village, and there was the time that you burned down an entire forest, or the time that you accidentally set fire to a neighborhood, and the time you burned all of those nice people's crops," Lucy said, counting each incident on her hand.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I can be a _little_ destructive sometimes, but it ain't my fault everything gets in the way of my attacks," he exclaimed. Now Lucy was the one to roll her eyes.

"Natsu, I _really_ need this money for rent, so you are absolutely not allowed to destroy anything and make us have to pay for it with the reward, okay?" She placed her hands on her hips and tried her best to look stern and serious.

"Fine, fine, I'll try my best," He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Lucy, you look constipated," Happy trilled, floating above them with a devious smile. Shrieking in anger, the blonde threw her shoe at the pesky Exceed, scowling when Happy just flew a little higher and easily avoided her 'attack.'

"There, was that really so hard?" Lucy grumbled, quickly putting her shoe back on her foot. Together, the group of Fairy Tail mages walked the streets of the small village, keeping an eye out for the band of thieves that had terrorized the citizens for a few weeks already. Their job was simple: catch the bandits and bring them to justice.

"Team Natsu, to the rescue!" Natsu yelled, pumping his fist in the air and cheering.

"We are _not_ called Team Natsu, asshole," Gray barked, starting _another_ argument into what their team should be called, neither of the boys coming up with any good suggestions.

After Lucy returned from her family home, three weeks ago, she had been going out on jobs almost non-stop to save up money for her overpriced rent, which was due in two days. She was still short a couple thousand Jewel, and this job was her last hope to keep her wonderful apartment and to not be thrown out on the streets, again.

Erza was the one to suggest that she, Gray, Happy and Natsu should all form a team so they could go out on tougher jobs with a larger reward. At first, Lucy felt a bit out of place, surrounded by such strong fighters, but they all insisted she was a vital part of the team. Even Happy stopped teasing her for a moment to compliment her growing strength.

"What have I said about fighting?" Erza growled. Natsu and Gray immediately hopped apart and smiled brightly at the Valkyrie.

"Us? Fight?" Natsu said, a fake and way too enthusiastic smile decorating his features.

"Never!" Gray responded. Lucy shook her head and laughed under her breath at their eccentric behavior.

"Do you guys think we should split up?" She asked. They had Happy patrolling the skies, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

"I think it's a good idea, and if we encounter the thieves, just send a flare of magic into the sky," Erza ordered before stalking off to the eastern border of the village. Gray waved as he walked off to the northern path, leaving Natsu and Lucy standing in the center of the village.

"Which way do you want to go?" Lucy asked. Natsu pouted, and whined, "but I wanna go with you."

Over the past few weeks, after Leo's story about the evil dark wizard who'd stolen a portion of her mother's starlight, Natsu- and even the rest of the guild- decided she should never be alone, or too far away from help at any given time. Since she'd been travelling across Fiore for jobs, there hadn't been any issues but Natsu always stayed close to her side.

"Natsu, I won't be alone. I'll summon Virgo," Lucy said, pulling out the spirit's key and calling her forth with a flash of light.

"You called, Princess," Virgo said with a low bow. Grimacing, Lucy once again reminded her spirit to just call her by her name.

"I am sorry, would you like to punish me?" Virgo said, a dangerous glint in her dark eyes. Natsu chuckled, and Lucy kicked at his ankles. Virgo was a _unique_ character. She wore a simple maid's uniform and had chains dangling from her wrists. She was also Natsu's favorite of Lucy's spirits due to their shared hair color and her quirky personality.

"I'm going to go patrol the west, you go south. Okay?" She patted his arm in comfort and pushed him to the southern road.

"Fine, but if you find them you better signal," Natsu grumbled. Lucy just rolled her eyes and walked with Virgo over to the road leading to the western corner of the village.

"He's such a worrywart, I think he'll have an aneurysm one of these days," She mumbled.

"Is the fire dragon worried about Zeref coming and stealing your starlight?" Virgo asked bluntly. Lucy stumbled over the cobblestone roadway.

"I guess, I mean we haven't seen any signs that Zeref is coming after me yet, plus I can take care of myself now. Erza's teaching me how to swordfight," She said proudly. Virgo nodded, taking a moment to compliment Lucy's newfound ability.

"Nevertheless, we believe the dark wizard will come after you, especially since he failed to drain your mother of all her starlight," Virgo said simply. Lucy groaned, and wished for the billionth time that her life wasn't so complicated.

When she returned to Fairy Tail after journeying to her family home, she sat down with Makarov, Levy, and Team Natsu to share what she had learned. She shared her family's history, about how her fae blood was thinned from years of mixing with humans, and how she was a literal star made flesh. Leo filled in the gaps of her story, telling them about how long ago, before Layla had even met Jude, a black wizard known as Zeref hunted her down to try and steal her starlight. Apparently, this wizard was under a curse, and the only way to cure it was by using the pure magic energy of starlight.

"So, this Zeref character is going to come after me and try to kill me and literally take my soul?" Lucy asked with disbelief. Leo nodded, turning Makarov's face grim.

"I have heard of this wizard. He is known for his evil and demonic creations, and responsible for many terrible tragedies," Makarov said.

"A Starchild's magic is incredibly rare, and one of the most powerful types of magic in the universe. Technically, Starchildren are from the same realm as me, the Celestial Spirit world, and because they are a blend of heaven and earth, they are incredibly valuable," Leo said, giving Lucy a sympathetic smile.

"When your aura gets out of control, you risk burning away your body and turning back into pure starlight, which is why we need to work on your training and on finding the other keys," Leo continued. Lucy sighed, rubbing her temple as a headache started to develop behind her eyes.

"So, you're telling me that not only will I be hunted down for basically my entire life, but that if I lose my temper I might end up dying?" She asked. Leo nodded.

"We won't let anyone harm you, Lucy," Erza said firmly. Levy nodded in agreement, and Natsu scooted closer to her, lending his warmth in comfort.

"Don't worry, I'll research the Star-children and find out more," Levy said, her mind already whirring in thought.

"Exactly, we protect our own," Gray said. Lucy smiled at her friends in thanks.

"Miss Lucy?" Virgo called, pulling the blonde from her reverie. Lucy shook her head and winced. She couldn't believe she let herself get so distracted while on the job.

"Sorry Virgo, just got lost in thought," She said. The spirit nodded in understanding.

Lucy chatted idly with her friend as they walked through the quiet and empty streets, the villagers having to stay in their homes past dark due to the threat the bandits brought to their small town. The mayor hadn't given them a lot to go on to find the violent thieves, but Lucy knew her team would easily overpower a small group of thugs robbing a small, defenseless town.

She twirled her keychain on her finger, trying not to be bored as she patrolled the empty streets. Suddenly, a burst of ice exploded in the sky near the northern forest bordering the village.

"Virgo, that's Gray's signal, quickly travel over there and help him please," She said, pausing for a moment to summon her short sword. The spirit nodded, then twirled and drilled deep into the ground, disappearing beneath the earth.

Lucy took off running over to the ice burst, her shining sword shining in the dark streets with golden light. By the time she reached the edge of the village, Natsu and Erza had already arrived and were locked in combat with the thieves.

Lucy spotted Virgo fighting two of the bandits, and she rushed over to help her spirit. She spun her blade and slashed at the legs of the bandit right behind her spirit, sending the man crumpling to his knees, then she leapt over his body and kicked his head. Before the thief had a minute to recover from her speedy attacks, she twirled again and lunged, piercing his shoulder with her blade, she sent a wave of magic pulsing through her sword, heating the blade and automatically cauterizing the wound, searing his flesh.

Screaming, the man clutched at his shoulder and fell on his side. Satisfied, Lucy turned to help Virgo but saw that her spirit had already trapped the unconscious man in a small hole in the ground, leaving only his head and shoulders above ground.

"Great job Virgo," She said with a smile, letting her golden sword dissolve away. Lucy felt a wave of heat wash over her and turned to see Natsu roaring a brilliant blaze of flames right at one of the thieves, successfully knocking the man out. Erza was already tying up three of the attackers with some thick rope, each unconscious and covered in bruises and cuts.

Gray was still fighting his opponent, but soon froze his feet and sent the bandit tumbling, allowing Gray to knock him out with one of his ice lances. Happy appeared in the sky above them, cheering.

"Good job everyone," Erza said, looking over their captives with a prideful smile.

"We didn't even cause any damage to the town!" Lucy exclaimed with a happy clap of her hands.

"I told you I don't destroy something on each job." Natsu smirked. The moment the words passed his lips, a scorched tree crumpled to ash and fell. The five of them stared in surprise at the fallen tree, then everyone but Natsu burst into hysterical laughter.

 **-ooooo-**

"I did it, I paid my rent," Lucy grumbled, dropping her head against the bar top with a groan. She was back to having almost no money, and she already was behind on saving for next month's rent. Dropping out of college and quitting her job had created a huge dent in her savings, plus she didn't go out on any jobs when she was still recuperating.

"Mira, I'm broke," She wailed. The barmaid just smiled sympathetically and dropped a plate with some chicken fingers in front of the dejected blonde.

"You are an angel from heaven, I should know I'm a star," She joked, gratefully munching on her lunch. Mira laughed as she walked away to help the tables out through the tavern.

"Cheer up, Lucy, at least now we know what kind of magic you have," Levy said, rubbing her friend's back. The demi-fae snagged a few fries from Lucy's plate, and received a deadly glare in response.

"I guess," She grumbled, pulling her plate closer to her body and away from the fry-stealing fae beside her. It was true that Erza's sword fighting lessons had helped her immensely, and now that she knew what her sword was made of, starlight, she was getting better at regulating its presence. She could even modulate the heat and the light the sword emitted to a small degree. Plus, Leo and Sagittarius were helping her develop her Celestial Spirit skills. She could now keep one golden gate open for almost ten hours, and around half that time if she was fighting. She was starting to attempt a dual summons, but could only manage the strain for a few minutes before she passed out.

"I still can't believe that two month's ago I thought the world was normal and that I was just a simple college student, trying to work my way through school," Lucy muttered.

"Isn't this life a lot more fun though?" Levy teased. Lucy agreed, smiling over at her friend. She was intrigued by a skill Leo told her about, the ability to adopt her spirit's powers and temporarily use their magic.

"We still need to find the other keys my mother scattered across Fiore," Lucy said.

"About that, I think I may have an idea of where to find one," Levy said, pulling out a booklet from her pocket. "I've been sending out feelers ever since you told me about how your mother scattered the celestial spirits, mostly contacting friends in the magical objects and antiquities field, and I got a hit in a small town near Hargeon about a potential golden key."

"Levy that's amazing!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up from her seat in excitement. Levy shared in the blonde's glee. Lucy felt a new burst of energy fill her and she excitedly started to babble about which spirit it could be based on what her new spirits shared with her about the others.

"So, Virgo was telling me about Capricorn, and apparently he used to train my mother so I'm hoping if he wants to make a contract with me that he'll accept me as his student. Oh! Or maybe it's Taurus, the bull. Leo says he has a giant axe and is super strong," she continued to ramble, her excitement increasing with every word. Her spirits were a key to her mother, and they all shared memories of Layla from before Lucy was born. She was desperate to find out any information on how Zeref stole her mother's starlight, and hoped Layla's former spirits would have some answers.

"Umm, Lucy," Levy said, trying to stop the blonde in her rant, only to be brushed aside as Lucy continued to ramble on and on about her fuzzy memories with the spirits. Levy poked at Lucy's skin, which had started to glow in response to her emotions. Even with Levy helping train Lucy on controlling her aura, the Starchild was terrible at it.

Lucy's hair started to radiate light, and golden flakes of light shone on her skin. The blonde was oblivious to her magical mishap, as usual.

"Oi! Luce, you're a glowstick again!" Natsu called from the entrance to the guild. The moment he walked through the door he could see Lucy shining like a lightbulb. Lucy turned to look at Natsu, then furrowed her brow in confusion and looked down at her shimmering skin.

"Oh, not again!" She cursed, taking a few deep breaths and calming her mind, the starlight dimming with each breath until it had disappeared entirely. Huffing, the blonde smiled apologetically at Levy and returned to her seat.

"Sorry about that, why didn't you tell me I'd turned into a firefly again?" She asked. Levy just laughed nervously and shrugged. The pattern of Natsu being the only one to help Lucy keep from bursting into supernova had continued.

"Luce, d'you wanna go on a job with me and Happy?" Natsu asked as he sat on the stool next to the blonde, an excited purr rumbling from his chest when he saw the chicken fingers on the counter. He snagged a chicken tender and eagerly ate the fried chicken.

"Hmm, I don't know, Levy was telling me that she might have a lead on a potential golden gate key," Lucy said, grabbing a few fries from her plate. Levy watched in slight annoyance as Lucy let Natsu freely eat from her plate when just a few minutes before the blonde almost ripped her hand off over a few fries.

"You two are practically a couple," Levy grumbled under her breath.

"Did you say something Levy?" Lucy asked. Levy stammered for a moment before saying, "Um, I said that, uh, I think you _two_ should go. Get the key."

"That might be a good idea," Lucy mused, turning to Natsu, who was munching on another chicken tender.

"Would you want to go?" She asked, affection in her eyes as she watched Natsu try to blow a few stray strands of his pink locks from his face.

"I guess," He answered with a shrug, grabbing another handful of fries from Lucy's plate.

"Great! We can go tomorrow," Lucy said cheerfully.

 **-ooooo-**

"Somehow, I always forget about your terrible motion sickness," Lucy says with a laugh, watching Natsu squirm in his seat with a green-tinged face. His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead and he generally looked completely miserable.

"Bleahg," He grumbled, leaning over to rest his head against her shoulder. Deciding to take pity on the drakon, since he agreed to accompany her to a small town on the outskirts of Hargeon in search for another golden key. She was a bit worried about returning to Hargeon with the possibility of accidentally running into someone from her past. It was hard enough to leave without arousing suspicion, especially because of her changed appearance.

"Luce, I'm gonna die, why couldn't we have walked?" Natsu asked, rubbing his forehead against her shoulder and groaning in discomfort.

"Well, Hargeon is over two days walk away, and only a few hours away by train. If it makes you feel any better, we'll be walking to Basta, which is pretty close to Hargeon," she responded, sympathetically patting his head. Luckily Happy decided to stay in Fairy Tail for their little field trip. Happy said he didn't want Natsu to puke on him, plus he needed to catch a fish for Charle, and didn't have the time to go looking for a "stupid key."

"Just try to breathe, we'll be there before you know it," she murmured, continuing to stroke Natsu's soft hair. The fact that one of the strongest fighters she knew could be taken down by a little machinery would always be a source of endless amusement for her.

Lucy occupied her mind during the trip by reading up on a few ancient scrolls about Celestial magic on her phone, scanned into digital format courtesy of Levy. So far, none of the texts had anything more than surface-level information about celestial magic, let alone any clues about Starchildren.

She tried her best to ignore Natsu's gagging and groans of pain during the train ride, and was almost as relieved as him when the train finally reached Hargeon station after four hours of pain and suffering. Before Lucy even had a chance to sit up and grab her bag, Natsu shot out of their train compartment and disappeared in the crowded station.

"Natsu!" Lucy called, cursing and running after him. She pushed through the crowd trying to enter the train, keeping her eyes peeled for a flash of pink floating above the crowd. Scowling, she hopped onto one of the benches spread throughout the station to get a better vantage point for her search.

"I swear to the gods, I'm gonna kill him," she muttered under her breath when her search turned up nothing. She pulled out her phone to call him, only to groan in frustration when she realized that Natsu didn't even own any kind of technology.

"Mental note: buy Natsu a phone," Lucy mumbled. Annoyance bubbled in her chest and she huffed an angry breath, cursing when she saw her fingertips start to glow. She dropped into a seated position on the bench and shoved her hands under her thighs, hoping no one saw her brief outburst. She spent the next few minutes fuming, thinking of how she could torture Natsu for abandoning her in the train station, which did nothing to help her firefly-esque fingers.

She wished she could summon Virgo, knowing the spirit would instantly be able to find her lost companion via a pink-haired shared consciousness. When her hands returned to normal, Lucy stood and decided to just leave the station and hope she ran into Natsu on the street. Maybe he'd already gotten into mischief, and if that was the case, she only had to follow the screams and explosions.

Unfortunately, the streets of Hargeon were relatively quiet and calm with no sign of magical mayhem to be found. She muttered curses under her breath as she began to walk in the direction of Basta. If there was a golden key there, this whole trip would be worth it. She jingled her keychain idly as she walked, wishing she could summon one of her friends without arousing suspicion. Hargeon was a decently sized city, which meant there was a strict no-magic policy in place, and summoning a giant crab man in a shower of golden sparks and bells would definitely draw attention.

Sighing, Lucy resigned herself to her lonely walk through the center of town, wishing Natsu was still alive somewhere and not dead in a ditch. He was not allowed to die until she got her hands on him for ditching her. He most likely had stopped for food somewhere near the station, but there were too many restaurants and little carts and shops and Lucy did not feel like searching for him.

She decided to keep on her path towards Basta and her golden key and to let Natsu fend for himself in Hargeon. He'd managed to survive before he met her, and we would be perfectly fine now. Humming quietly to herself, she walked through the familiar streets of her previous home, feeling a wash of nostalgia as she passed by the familiar buildings and stores. She lived in Hargeon the longest of all her temporary homes after leaving her father, and was quite fond of the city. It wasn't too quiet, but not as loud and busy as Crocus, perfect for a runaway college student.

Soon she made it to the quiet outskirts of the city, with still no clue as to where her partner had disappeared to. She quickly pulled out her phone to text Levy of her arrival in Hargeon, and to briefly complain about Natsu's rudeness. The demi-fae would not receive the messages unless she was outside of the guild, but Lucy figured she should keep someone updated with her whereabouts, considering the frequent recent kidnappings.

Resigning herself to having to walk all the way to Basta on her own, Lucy began her trek to the village. The sun was still in the sky, and she hoped that with a fast pace and no breaks, she would make it to the town just after sunset. She double checked the navigation app on her phone, and continued down the country road that led to Basta.

Right as she was leaving Hargeon city limits, she heard a voice calling after her. Turning, she scowled when she saw Natsu running towards her in the distance. With a dramatic huff and muttered curse, that she was certain he could hear, she turned on her heel and continued walking down the road.

"Lucy, wait up," Natsu yelled. She ignored him. He caught up to her a few moments later.

"Wow, there sure is some great food here," Natsu said, rubbing his stomach with a sleepy grin. Lucy's scowl deepened, and she remained silent.

"Oh, where'd you disappear off to? I swear you were right behind me, but then I turned around and poof," he waved his hands outwards to emphasize the "poof" and continued, "- you were gone."

" _I'm_ not the one who went running off!" Lucy exclaimed, glaring at him before turning her gaze back to the distant horizon and swearing to keep ignoring him for the rest of their journey.

"Eh, what're you talkin about?" He drawled. She just rolled her eyes, and kept her silence. Sighing, Natsu decided to share his culinary adventures with her, hoping his hilarious reenactments would illicit a response from the angry blonde. Unfortunately for him, Lucy was one of, if not the most, stubborn person he knew and she refused to crack.

"Aw, come on, that was funny!" He said, trying to reign in his own laughter. Lucy didn't even raise a brow. Groaning, the drakon grabbed her arm to stop her from walking and pulled her in close. Before she had a chance to pull her arm from his grip or slap him away, he said, "Look, I'm sorry for ditchin you at the station. I just got so hungry and forgot to make sure you were still with me."

Lucy's gaze softened, and she pursed her lips in thought. She narrowed her eyes, and looked deep into Natsu's dark green eyes.

"Oi, Lucy, why do you look constipated?" Natsu asked, breaking her concentration. Shrieking, she pulled her arm from his grip and kicked him hard enough to send him sliding a few feet away.

"I am _not_ constipated! I'm trying to decide if I should forgive you, jerk," She said with a stomp of her foot. Smiling, Natsu just walked back over to her side and slung an arm over her shoulder.

"If I promise to buy dinner and pay for the hotel room, will you forgive me?" He asked, mirth glittering in his dark gaze.

"Fine, but don't skimp out on me. I want a _fancy_ dinner with an actual waiter," she said, leaning into his arm and wrapping her arm around his waist. Natsu hummed in agreement. Lucy sighed in contentment, and together the two continued walking to Basta, where another friend of her mothers and potential ally awaited.

 **-ooooo-**

So here's another update, and so fast...

As always, please leave a review I only gave this a quick read-through before posting so please forgive any mistakes.

Fun fact: this was only supposed to be one chapter, but it was approaching the double digits (10k+words) so now it's two chapters. I hope to update again in a week, but I do have an ochem midterm in like 6 days

I'm so tired rn yall but I hope y'all enjoyed and let me know what ya think!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter 13

Lucy wiped her brow and breathed in deep, filling her lungs with fresh air. Another bead of sweat rolled down her temple and a shudder pulsed down her spine.

"Good Lucy, concentrate." Capricorn's voice said. She gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her task.

Capricorn, her most recent spirit acquisition, had been very agreeable in joining her and helping her train and learning how to contain her Stardust. She had to pay a hefty sum for his key at the shop in Basta, but it was more than worth it. Capricorn had told her some old stories of her mother, and was more knowledgeable in Starchildren than anyone else, or any book she'd found.

"Your magic is a part of you, but it is also born from a fallen star. A part of that star wants to return to the heavens, but you are the one in control, remember that," Capricorn said. Wincing, Lucy nodded. Her first training lesson was all about keeping her magic under control, so there would be no more glowstick explosions. To do this, she was keeping her aura exposed and making herself glow at a steady rate for as long as she could.

 _Oh, just keep glowing, it'll be easy. Don't worry._ Lucy bit her lip. Bullshit. She was drenched in sweat, and every single muscle in her body was quivering from exertion. She must have been keeping her aura 'on' for hours. She was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, with the curtains drawn in the hopes that no humans would see her shining through the window from the street.

"Concentrate, you're losing control," Capricorn said in his calm and monotonous voice. She bit her lower lip and tried to reign her thoughts back under control. Another droplet of sweat rolled down her back, bringing goosebumps rising along with it. Her skin felt like it was burning, and her magic was aching to run free and shine brighter. She reminded herself to think calm thoughts, and not about a nice warm bath to soothe her aching muscles. Or food. Or water for her aching throat.

"Lucy, _focus,"_ Capricorn repeated. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She _was_ focused. Sort of. He told her that she could last a few more minutes, and she tried her hardest to keep up with his demands. Her magic bubbled beneath her skin in protest, the Starlight trying to tempt her into bursting free to dance across the sky.

With a wild curse, she lost the hold on her magic and there was a blaze of golden light before the room went dark. Ears ringing, Lucy hesitantly opened her eyes, one at a time, to assess the damage. Luckily there were no more burns on the carpet, or the drapes, but the light in her ceiling was blown out. Sunlight drifted through the taupe curtains, casting a warm glow over the quiet room.

"Well done for your first try." Capricorn rose to his feet and straightened his sunglasses, despite the low lighting. Lucy rolled onto her back and splayed her limbs out like a starfish with a tired groan.

"My entire body hurts. My brain hurts. How long did I last?" She asked. Capricorn cleared his throat and answered, "Three minutes and forty-two seconds."

She leapt to her feet with a cry of surprise. "No way it was only three measly minutes!"

He just shrugged. Cursing, she pulled at her hair and groaned again. And here she thought she was doing well, all things considered. Exhaustion pulled at her eyes and the all too familiar chill of magic depletion near her heart grew.

"Considering you kept me summoned during that time, I'd say you did quite well. But yes, there is a rapid need for improvement," Her spirit commented. Sighing, Lucy thanked Capricorn for his help and promised to summon him again tomorrow for another session, then sent him back to the Celestial Spirit realm.

"I think I deserve a nice, warm, calming bath," she mumbled to empty air. Maybe she should get a house plant to keep her company. She hoped Capricorn's teachings would help her catch up to the skill levels of her team mates, having felt left out and weak during their last couple of jobs. Erza could always finish off any enemy in one or two strikes, Gray was always thinking ahead with his spells, and Natsu had enough raw destructive power and enthusiasm for the three of them. Even Happy had a bigger role than she did, able to scout ahead and swoop down to scoop up Natsu and carry him off into danger.

She drew her bath while she mused, eager to spend the next hour or so encased in warmth and relaxation. She poured in a special bath salt Wendy cooked up for her, letting the herbal scent fill the air. The salts were imbued with Wendy's healing magic, and meant to help replenish one's magic aura, and help soothe aches and pains. Despite only having a small jar of the miracle stuff, Lucy decided she deserved to use them after her brutal three minutes of agony.

 **-ooooo-**

"Luckily this job is in Magnolia, so Natsu, you won't have to deal with any transportation," Erza said, casting the gleeful fire drakon a smile, "however, we will need to be careful of exposure to humans."

Lucy nodded and straightened her ponytail. Their job today was simple, but dangerous. The Magic Council shared confidential information with Makarov of a deadly dark guild alliance, known as the Balam Alliance. The combined forces of numerous powerful dark guilds were causing chaos and raising the possibility of the exposure of magic to the human world.

Makarov instructed their team to go out and find a lower level dark guild involved in this alliance and capture them for questioning.

"Remember, it is vital that none of our targets escape and warn other guilds of our attack, understood?" Erza said sternly, fixing every member of their team with a deadly glare.

"Are we sure that Happy has to stay here?" Natsu asked. Erza responded with a stiff nod, then started to march towards the portal. Gray followed their fierce Valkyrie, and Lucy pulled Natsu along by his arm.

"Don't worry about Happy, he'll be fine with Wendy and Charle," she said with a smile. Natsu huffed but followed her through the portal and into Magnolia. She smiled as the warm sun lit her skin, complimented by a nice cool breeze. It was already October and the seasons were beginning to change, cool air replacing the sweltering heat of summer and the leaves beginning to change color. She was looking forward to the famous Fall Festival in a couple weeks, during the last days of October. Magnolia was well known for three things: Rainbow Sakura trees, the Cardia cathedral, and the Fall Festival. The entire city would celebrate the days of the last harvest with a parade and parties that lasted days and nights. Feasts would be shared as the last sun festival came to a close and the city began it's winter preparations.

Erza quickly reequipped out of her armor and into a simple white blouse and blue skirt to blend in with the human population. Lucy was dressed in a plain t-shirt and a pair of white shorts, with a baseball cap on her head to try and hide her pointed ears. Natsu and Gray had their usual clothes on, each sticking out like a sore thumb no matter what.

The group marched through the bustling streets of Magnolia and she had to try very hard not to get distracted as they passed through the market district, full of pretty shops and delicious food. Natsu, unsurprisingly, was distracted by the sweet scents filling the air and the tempting calls of food vendors lining the streets. Luckily, Erza kept them on track as they trudged through the crowds, at least until they passed a cake shop and they stopped inside so the fierce Valkyrie could purchase a slice of sweet strawberry cake.

Lucy had to admit, she was no longer used to being around so many humans. She was incredibly self-aware, always adjusting her cap and her hair and trying her best to keep her aura disguised. She even had to focus on not moving too fast, especially after she accidentally bumped into a tall, wide set man with no regards for those in his path and sent him sprawling on the ground on accident. From a near brush against her shoulder.

While in the guild, surrounded by her friends and colleagues, she could let a little bit of her light shine through, leaving her skin and hair with a faint glow. It was strange to keep her power so subdued and bottled up inside. How she survived nearly twenty years without it astounded her.

"Weird, isn't it?" Natsu commented, bumping her out of her thoughts with his shoulder. She tilted her head in confusion. "Being around normal humans again and havin to keep your magic all bottled up."

Nodding, she let loose a deep sigh. He slung his arm over her shoulder and said, "No worries, Luce, cheer up! We all suck at fitting in with the humans."

Smiling, Lucy had to agree. Erza stuck out with her fierce personality and tendency towards violence, Gray was always losing his clothes, and Natsu had his pink hair and draconic attributes to draw attention.

"You're right. I think I fit in the most out of all of you," she teased, looping her arm around his waist. Natsu just rolled his eyes and dragged her along beside him. They soon left the busy market behind and the further they walked, the less people they saw. The buildings became more rundown, each looking more abandoned than the next. After the last experience she had in a similar neighborhood, Lucy was glad to be surrounded by her friends and to have Natsu next to her, sharing another one of his ridiculous stories.

"Oi, lovebirds," Gray called, "we're getting close." Lucy nodded, choosing to ignore the flush creeping up her neck at his comment, and stepped out of Natsu's arm to reach down and grab Virgo's key. Out of most of her spirits, Virgo and Leo were the only ones that could pass for human, but Virgo's talents were less flashy. She separated from Natsu's side and jogged down into a deserted alley and away from any prying eyes to summon her spirit.

"Would you like to punish me, princess?" Virgo asked the moment she appeared. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"I need you to scout out towards that dark guild's hiding place and make sure nobody leaves. Use your pitfalls to contain them until we can get there," she explained. Virgo bowed, then tunneled into the ground and disappeared.

She returned to her companions and relayed what she told Virgo. Erza complimented her on her strategy, and quietly reequipped a pair of daggers into her hands. Gray tossed his shirt aside and cracked his knuckles, sending a wave of frost through the air.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu said, smoke curling out from behind his sharp canines. Lucy glanced around, making sure the few people lingering on the street had gone, and quickly summoned her short sword made of Stardust. The blade hummed, and flecks of light fell around the sword, burning the air and the concrete. She prepared for the drain of having a golden gate open and her sword summoned, but it didn't come. Maybe those few minutes of training over the past week were working after all.

The dark guild had taken over a small cluster of crumbling warehouses in the abandoned corner of Magnolia. They could hear the ambiance of laughing and talking, and as the sun began to set, strung lacrima crystals lit the walls leading closer to the heart of the dark guild's camp, each bobbing softly in the air, casting a soft glow along the stone and concrete as the sunlight faded away. Her sword sung as the stars began to appear in the darkening blue sky, each light twinkling as though to answer her sword's calling. She saw Erza take a curious glance towards her weapon, the Valkyrie no doubt able to sense the power her sword summoned through her gifts.

Lucy bit her lip to hide the smile threatening to creep along her features. Excitement for the fight ahead bubbled within her, bringing her magic to the surface of her skin, the Starlight desperate to break free and remind the world of where it came from. She breathed in the smoky scent of Natsu's fire and reminded her Starlight that they had other more important matters at hand, and no one would be returning to the heavens anytime soon.

Natsu's grin was unhidden, his canines bared. Erza motioned for Gray to join her in going around the main warehouse to attack from the left flank and gestured for she and Natsu to attack from the right. The Valkyrie's fierce warning about letting any of the mages escape echoed in her bright stare. Grinning like a fox with its prey caught in its trap, Natsu lunged ahead, leaving Lucy to leap after him while Gray and Erza disappeared into the darkness.

She understood why Erza left Natsu to attack the main corridor and draw the attention of the force within. The drakon was anything but subtle. The moment his feet passed into the lighted path cast by the floating lacrima's, all hope for a secret attack was lost. He sent a bursting spiral of flame cascading through the hall, spiking down into the side rooms and alerting the dark guild to their presence.

Howling, he burst through the remnants of his fiery attack, smoke curling from his snarl and fire burning in his eyes. Lucy was happy to let her partner draw the majority of their enemy's attention. She crept into the side rooms along the main corridor leading into the main hangar of the warehouse- which likely held the main gathering hall for the guild- and dispatched any lingering foes hiding away.

She dodged a blast of dark energy from a fierce looking mage with swirling black tattoos covering their entire body, parried the next blow with her sword, somehow knowing the magic within the blade was enough to counter the attack. The bolt of dark magic rebounded off her blade and struck the ceiling above the caster, cracking the old concrete and sending it crashing down upon the unsuspecting mage below. She quickly used one of the rope charms gifted to her by Levy to tie the assailant up, then continued her path down towards the bursting arcs of flame and the laughter.

Lucy ran into chaos. One half of the hangar was covered in ice and the other swarming with flame. Erza soared above the crowd in her Heaven's Wheel armor, sending volleys of swords down upon the guild. A few brave souls dared to join the redhead in her domain above, but quickly learned why that was the worst possible idea they could have come up with.

Before she had another moment to observe, a man with glowing daggers came roaring towards her at unbelievable speed. She noted his pointed ears beneath the russet curls that identified him as demi-fae and swung her sword up to deflect his first blow. His first blade bounced off the Starlight with a piercing ring, but the second swung from below towards her gut. With a growl, she twisted her hand and blocked that attack, but before she could even think about taking the offensive, his second blade slid past her defenses and sliced her upper arm.

She bit back the scream in her throat as the magic within the blade burned her. It was not a hot burn, but rather the burn of something that was too cold. Her left arm went numb as the freezing magic swam down her blood and she reached for her Stardust to keep the poison from reaching the rest of her body.

With a mighty roar of pain, she lifted her leg and kicked the man's torso, forcing the breath from his lungs. He stumbled a single step back, then spun and struck out with his blades again in a fierce twirl meant to attack from every angle. Lucy stumbled back, her arm a dead weight at her side and ruining the little balance she had. She remembered Wendy's reassurances that she healed unusually fast for a demi-fae and foolishly hoped her healing abilities were up to the task of bringing her arm back for her to use.

A wave of heat warmed her back and she felt her energy renewed. She was not alone, and she _had_ to fight. To win. She adjusted her grip on her sword and beckoned for the faeborn to attack again with a sly smile. She dodged his lunge, and twisted around, spinning her arm to slice across his back, but the faeborn was quicker than she anticipated and what was meant to be a near fatal wound became a mere scratch.

Cursing, she ducked to avoid his slashing blades, feeling the cold burn against her skin, and she leapt above his next sweeping attack, trusting the strength in her legs to bring her high above the fight. The man just stared as she soared above the hangar, smiling devilishly up at her. Her chances of landing without being struck by his daggers again was near impossible, but Lucy did not plan on using her sword against him again.

She closed her eyes for a brief second, calling her magic to her, and reached down toward her keys where Leo pressed against his gate. She would need his help and guidance for what she planned to do next. Her sword dissolved, the magic power redirecting, and silver light burst through her skin, wanting to explode from within her. She shouted a brief warning to her companions, drawing the attention from the few dark mages remaining in the fight.

She opened her eyes as she reached the highest point of her jump and summoned her magic from within. She called to the Starlight yearning to burst free and she _let_ it.

Piercing light erupted. Blinding Starlight filled the hangar, joined by a high-pitched ring. She channeled her magic to blind and burn, focusing on ensuring the light bursting through the room was blinding her enemies. Heat and light exuded from her every pore, every fiber of her being. She pressed her magic and aura further outward, ensuring the blast was bright enough and hot enough to disable her enemies, then, as she began her quick descent, she called the light back into her and landed on shaking legs.

The light slowly faded to a dull, golden glow beneath her skin and the ringing faded away in the silence hanging in the air. She landed a few feet away from the unconscious body of her assailant. Lucy swiftly kicked away his cursed blades and used another rope binding charm.

She glanced around, and saw that Erza was sweeping across the hangar, doing the same to the rest of the unconscious or screaming mages. Most clutched at either their eyes or their ears, some had blood dripping from closed eyes. She had a brief twinge of regret and shame, but then she remembered what the main goal of the dark guild was: to torment humans and cause death and destruction. She felt little guilt after that.

Her magic slumbered inside her, the reserves nearly depleted. A headache formed between her eyes and her heartbeat roared in her ears and pulsed throughout her body. Panting, she stumbled over to Gray, who was rubbing his eyes and cursing.

"Are you okay?" She asked, avoiding stepping in the puddles she made of his ice. The ice mage groaned in response. "I tried to warn you."

"I know, but I didn't close my eyes until you started 'cause I'm a gods-damned idiot," he grunted, blinking repeatedly and shaking his head, as though that would fix his vision. She rubbed his shoulder and whispered more apologies.

"Damn right you're an idiot!" Natsu called from across the hangar, his enhanced hearing no doubt catching their conversation. Gray shot him a vulgar gesture and stumbled around to catch his bearings.

Laughing lightly, she joined Erza in the center of the hangar, where the Valkyrie was dragging the restrained mages. Before she had a chance to speak, the ground rumbled, and a sinkhole formed below the pile of dark guilders. Cursing, Erza reequipped more floating swords to join her side but Lucy waved a calming hand.

"It's just Virgo!" She called, walking to the edge of the vast hole and peering down to see her pink-headed spirit bowing before her, surrounded by more restrained mages and creatures. "Do you wish to punish me, Princess?"

Natsu booming laugh echoed in the empty cavern. She rolled her eyes and denied her spirit's request. Instead, she asked Virgo to take the prisoners back to the guild for questioning and transport to the Magic Council. Virgo bowed again and disappeared with the prisoners with a shimmer of golden light.

Lucy winced as the teleportation drained her magic. She quickly schooled her features back into her usual cheerful mask and turned to face her companions.

"Lucy, that was incredibly smart but very dangerous," Erza scolded, her arms crossed over her chest and her brow raised in concern. Lucy just waved away her friends concern and said, "Oh, don't you worry. I'm catching up to you guys pretty fast so watch out."

Erza's piercing gaze seemed to see right through her façade and notice the tiredness under her eyes and her labored breathing. But the Valkyrie chose to say nothing and just shook her head with a small smile.

Natsu whooped and ran over to join them, sending a burst of fire into the air in celebration. He slid to a stop at the edge of the sinkhole and whistled in appreciation, tossing the stray ends of his scarf over his shoulders.

"Ya know, at first I thought Virgo was my favorite because of our shared style sense," he cast his hand through his pink locks, "-but now I think it's because she can do that crazy thing."

Smiling, Lucy quickly looked Natsu up and down to see if he'd been injured but couldn't find a scratch. Gray and Erza were uninjured as well, thankfully. There had only been a little over twenty members of the dark guild present in the warehouse, and luckily all had been defeated.

Natsu's fiery gaze turned to the wound on her arm, and his body stilled. Gray muttered something vulgar under his breath that Lucy chose to ignore, making Erza smack him upside the head. Natsu's nose twitched and his eyes narrowed.

"You need to see Wendy." He took three large steps and was standing right in front of her, a breath away. His warm hands tentatively grabbed her numb arm and lifted the appendage closer to his face. His sniffed again and cringed.

"Fae-bane, mixed with a whole mix of dangerous toxins and poison magic," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"It's late enough for us to call a portal." Erza's voice echoed. Lucy looked away from Natsu's concerned face and noticed her two other companions were moving towards the nearest doorway. Before she could take a step to join them, Natsu's grabbed her good arm, his touch gentle, his fingers caressing her skin and sending warmth cascading through her body.

"I'm fine," she reassured, seeing the concern in his dark gaze. Natsu pouted and glanced at her wound, then up at the ceiling as a reminder to her foolish stunt. "Leo said that the more you used your Stardust like that, the more likely you would be to lose control."

"Capricorn's lessons are helping. I didn't even feel the strain of keeping Virgo summoned tonight," she said, lifting her hand- with his still wrapped around her wrist- and caressing his cheek. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest, and not due to her exhaustion anymore. Natsu leaned into her touch and let his eyes drift closed as he breathed in her scent. Her smile widened as she pulled her hand back a few inches, then playfully smacked his face.

Natsu's eyes jerked open and his mouth dropped open in shock. Her shoulders shook with laughter and she twisted her wrist so that his hand joined hers and pulled him and his slightly bruised ego with her to the glowing doorway leading to their home.

 **-ooooo-**

Groaning, Lucy let Erza and Mira and Makarov handle the interrogation of the dark guild, and instead she went straight for the infirmary. The portal's magic left her stomach twisted in knots and her vision swarming with black spots. Her arm was still dull and dead at her side when she pushed through the infirmary doors and found Wendy seated on her chair, reading a thick tome on magical herbalism.

"Lucy! Glad to see you're back!" The girl enthused, setting her book aside. "Unfortunately, I'm not here just for your company, I'm afraid." She lifted her numb arm and let it drop down to her side, a rivulet of blood dripping down her palm and onto the floor.

Wendy leapt into action, pulling a variety of tonics and salves from the cupboards and gesturing for Lucy to take a seat on one of the cots. Wincing, she felt as the drain from Virgo's gate dissolved away, signaling her spirit's return to the Celestial realm. Her head pounded, and she shivered as the chill of magic depletion spread through her body.

Wendy carefully lifted her arm and sniffed at the wound, her face contorting into the same disgusted expression Natsu had after doing the same thing.

"Whoever did this to their weapon was _not_ a happy person," the girl muttered. Smiling, Lucy had to agree with her assessment.

"Oi, Luce, I brought food." Natsu's voice called through the wood of the door. She glanced up to see her partner kick open the door, a platter of fried chicken and french fries on a platter in his arms.

"Ooh, bring it to me," she said, saliva pooling in her mouth. Her stomach rumbled, already forgetting the nausea from traveling by portal. She reached out with her good arm and motioned for him to hurry and sit by her side.

Smiling, Natsu hopped onto her cot and placed the platter of food on both their laps. She ate gleefully, a content sigh falling from her lips. "Mira always makes the best food."

Snorting, Natsu said, "You're so deprived of magic and energy right now, you'd eat anything." Lucy gasped, and denied the accusation, despite knowing it was probably true based on the rumbling of her stomach.

"Oh, I could totally see you scrounging for food and eating something gross, like pig testicles or something," he teased. Lucy groaned and smacked his shoulder. Chuckling, Natsu looked over at Wendy and raised a brow.

"She'll be fine. I just have to pull the toxins out before I can heal the wound, and you'll have to rest. Your magic is nearly drained again." Wendy said, turning her attention to the blonde in her care. She rolled her eyes playfully and agreed to her healer's suggestions.

"I should've stayed with you," Natsu said, leaning close so their arms touched.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, my plan worked wonderfully," she said with a pointed glare. Natsu just grabbed another piece of chicken and shoved it into her face, demanding she eat to regain her strength. She could feel his aura spread from their touching thighs and arms, warming her from the outside in. She hummed in contentment as Natsu's warmth filled her. A little kernel of power deep in her chest came back to life at the feeling of his magic working through her body and burned with new energy.

Luckily, she couldn't feel Wendy's ministrations as she magically pulled the toxins from her arm and sealed her wound, leaving a mostly healed slice instead of the gash in her flesh from before. Wendy wrapped the wound after coating it in a sweet-scented salve, then leaned over to steal a handful of fries from the plate, and dashed away with a giggle, grabbing her book on her way out.

Her fingers were already tingling as feeling returned to her limb. She slowly and cautiously curled her fingers into a fist and relaxed them again, groaning in pain at the effort.

"Remind me again not to get sliced by a glowing, evil dagger," she muttered. Natsu snorted, grabbing the last of the food on the plate and stuffing it in his gaping maw. She feigned disgust and pushed away from him. "We should join the others, see what they learned from the interrogation."

It had only been half an hour since their return, but already Master Makarov was returning with Mira and Erza at his sides from the lower prison levels, their faces grim. The tingling in her hand continued to spread slowly up her arm as she and Natsu walked over to join the glum trio by the bar.

"What happened?" She asked. Mira shot her a sympathetic look, and Erza strolled away, probably to share information.

"We learned that the Balam Alliance is run by three powerful dark guilds: Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros. However, their alliance is crumbling," Makarov trailed off. He looked up at Lucy, an apology in his gaze. "I'm sorry, but Tartaros has decided to fade into the shadows, Grimoire Heart is close behind, choosing to observe what happens next no doubt. And Oracion Seis…has laid their eyes on _you_ , my dear."

Lucy furrowed her brow, taking an unconscious step closer to Natsu until his chest rested against her back. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with _me_?"

"The leader of Oracion Seis is looking for a Starchild. And he has heard of your arrival at Fairy Tail and is leading an attack against us." Makarov concluded.

Lucy stumbled, falling deeper into Natsu's warm embrace. She could hear her partner demanding answers from the Master, and distantly heard his response. Not again. Her new family could not be in danger because of her, _again_. Her pulse began to race, and breath escaped her. Images of Levy, wrapped from head to toe in bloody bandages, and Erza, crumpling under the might of the Jupiter canon filled her head. This dark guild was powerful enough to shake Makarov. How could they fight against the top three most powerful dark guilds in all existence?

Panting, she cradled her head in her hands and pulled at her hair. Warm hands pulled hers back down to her sides, then caressed the sides of her face. Hot breath fanned over her skin and she opened her eyes to meet Natsu's gaze. He said nothing, only stared at her and held her head in his hands and waited. When she regained some control of herself, he said, "This is _not_ your fault."

"But it is. They're after me," she whispered. Natsu pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around her and holding her within his warmth. She paused, then lifted her arms to wrap around his waist and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. The panic that filled her slowly ebbed away as she took deep, calming breaths, breathing in Natsu's scent. His aura washed over her and wrapped her in a cocoon of heat and safety.

"I won't let them have you. You're _mine._ " He growled the last word out through his teeth and she could feel the growl rumbling in his chest. She decided to scold him for referring to her as his property tomorrow, and instead focused on the heat blooming in her gut at his words. He nosed her hair and leaned over her until he was practically wrapped around her entire body. His breath fanned against her neck and she shivered. A purr worked its way out of Natsu's throat and she couldn't help but smile against his neck. She knew they were drawing too many stares, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Fine. You win, this time," she relented. The purr she could feel rumbling in his chest intensified. She tucked away the information to use for later teasing. She felt Makarov slowly walk away, laughing under his breath. She could feel her muscles relax in the warmth, and she moaned as her arm regained enough feeling for her to feel the pain pulsing through it.

"Take me home. 'M tired," she muttered against his skin. She knew she was being selfish, and she would regret her decisions in the morning, but the exhaustion of draining her magic and from the fight and the news of Oracion Seis's plans weighed down her body and mind.

"In a minute," he replied. That was fine with her. She didn't want to move either. He was just so warm, so comforting. She felt like they were two puzzle pieces, finally joining together and becoming whole. She felt like they belonged together, side by side.

Lucy didn't remember how long they stood wrapped together in the middle of the guild hall, or how she got back to her apartment. She only remembered crawling into her bed, somehow in her pajamas, and being joined by Natsu. He curled around her, his warm presence settling over her like a security blanket. She was too tired to complain about his presence in her bed and knew she would probably be furious in the morning, but she couldn't bring herself to care in that moment.

She was being hunted for her Stardust. Again. Putting her friends and family at risk. Again. In the morning, she would have to join her friends at the war table, bring together a plan of attack against Oracion Seis, but for now she just wanted to sleep, wrapped in Natsu's warm embrace. So, she did, despite his light snoring.

Lucy woke drenched in sweat. She groaned in annoyance and reached up to swipe the hair sticking to her forehead. Her head was still pounding, and her throat was scratchy and dry, and she was engulfed in an unbearable heat. Where was it coming from?

She tried to roll out of her bed, but a vise like grip kept her in place, wrapped her in hot arms. She blinked away her groggy confusion and looked down to see familiar arms wrapped around her waist. She yelped as those arms pulled her closer into a hot, and bare, chest. Her cheeks flushed, and she felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. Wriggling, she tried to free herself from Natsu's grip, but to no avail. The fire drakon just hummed and nuzzled into the nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine despite the unwavering heat. Since she couldn't get out of her bed, she rolled so that she was facing Natsu. She was about to open her mouth and scream at him for being in her bed, and for letting her apartment be filled with the near unbearable fire of his aura.

Huffing, she blew a puff of air in his face, wafting his bangs out of his eyes. Her heart stuttered as she took in his peaceful expression. His lips were slightly parted, and Lucy had to try her best not to stare at them.

She knew her face was as red as a tomato. Natsu leaned in closer and his nose brushed against hers. His nose twitched against hers, and his eyes slowly opened. Lucy felt her breathing stop and her entire body tensed as Natsu's gaze met hers. His eyes were close enough that she could see flecks of green in his irises.

Before he had a chance to so much as move, she smashed her hands against his chest and shoved with all her might and a high-pitched scream belted from her throat. Natsu gasped at her reaction and teetered on the edge of the bed before crashing to the floor, dragging the blankets along with him, and Lucy on top.

She yelped as she landed hard on Natsu's chest, drawing a groan of pain from the male beneath her. Eyes wide, she felt a deeper blush crawl up her neck and bloom in her cheeks. Natsu blinked groggily up at her, a lazy smile on his face.

"Hey Luce," he grumbled, his voice hoarse and deep. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. Natsu. Shirtless. Tangled in her sheets. While she _straddled_ him. A whine fell from her lips and she felt her magic bubbling to the surface, lighting her skin and hair with a soft golden glow. Natsu's smile widened and he reached up to grab a strand of her glowing hair. His thumb brushed against her cheek and he rumbled, "G'morning, _moje hvězda_."

She screamed again, and leapt up, tripping over the sheets and falling on her floor. She crawled along, trying to get as far away from the male in her bed as fast as possible and stumbled into her bathroom and locked the door.

"Go away!" She yelled. Instead of the sound of her front door opening and closing, she only heard Natsu stumble into her kitchen and pots and pans banging around. She passed her hands through her hair and turned on her shower. Cursing, she decided to ignore the pounding in her chest and the fantasies dancing through her mind. Instead, she quickly stepped into her shower and decided to kick his ass later for intruding.

 **-ooooo-**

 **long time no see...sorry for the short little hiatus, I restarted this chapter like four times. But, now I know what I'm doing (mostly) and now we enter more angsty plots! I hope y'all liked this nalu infested chapter (i say i can do slow burn but its a lie)**

 **Don't forget to leave a review! They make my day :)**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER 14

"He wants us to wait." Racer tapped his foot impatiently, sparing a glare towards the dark corner of their cave hideout where the disembodied voice echoed. Before he had a chance to respond, the voice said, "We follow his orders. Don't worry, you'll be able to kill some fairies soon. Everything is going according to his plan."

Huffing, Racer zoomed out of the cave, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. The man in the corner did not try to stop him, having heard his partner's intentions already and knowing the speedster was falling in line with their master's carefully laid out plans. The man emerged from the shadows, a sly smile parting his lips. He listened closely, hearing his prey from hundreds of miles away.

Soon.

Soon, they would strike the very heavens and rattle the stars.

 **-ooooo-**

"Gramps, I don't see why we need their help. We've got this covered! I can protect her," Natsu whined, wisps of flame dancing up and down his arms. Lucy rolled her eyes, for the thousandth time that morning.

"Natsu, we barely handled Phantom Lord, and now a much more powerful dark guild is after my powers. We need all the help we can get," Lucy said, crossing her arms.

"Lucy is right, Natsu. We hardly know what to expect. Meeting with representatives from other guilds, combining all of our intel, and making a plan is our best course of action." Erza stated, joining Lucy's side.

Makarov sat atop the bar, his legs dangling over the side, with a pensive look on his face and his fingers stroking his mustache. "We are attending this meeting, no ifs or buts about it. This Balam Alliance has grown enough to involve the rest of the Council and threatens our very existence with humans."

Natsu huffed, blowing smoke into the old man's face. Lucy pursed her lips. She couldn't understand why Natsu was so opposed to meeting with other guilds to form a team to fight the Oracion Seis. Yes, any dark guild getting their hands on the power of her Stardust would be terrible for her, but the human world learning of the magical underbelly that lived parallel to their own existence? That would be catastrophic. Surely, the overprotective, aggressive, always looking to fight, fire drakon she knew would be on board with their plan.

"Natsu, this _is_ our plan. Whether you like it or not." Erza reached over and gripped his shoulder, "So you better get on board if you want to tag along." With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Natsu nodded and grunted in agreement before stomping off to the portal and disappearing with a flash.

Lucy raised a brow in surprise at her friend's drastic exit and looked over at Erza for an explanation, only to receive a shrug from the Valkyrie in return. Lucy sighed, and joined Levy at the bar to continue their research into Starchildren and the history of Stardust on Earth. It was slow going, considering that any reference to a fallen star was entangled in a web of metaphor and folklore, making it nearly impossible to tell myth and exaggeration from fact.

Luckily, Levy was more than happy to help and her skills at translating and understanding ancient dialects was perfectly suited for the task. So far the duo had only read about things they knew already from Lucy's own experiences and the knowledge passed on by her spirits.

Tomorrow, they would be meeting representatives from Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale-the two most powerful guilds following Fairy Tail. Hopefully, her partner would be in a better mood, otherwise it would be a very long day.

 **-ooooo-**

 _"What do you think you're doing? You useless child! Why do I even keep you around? You murdered your mother, you are nothing but trouble and I regret even bringing you into this world!"_

 _Shattered glass rained down, cascading across the tile and sinking into the flesh of her feet. She tried her best to keep the tears from spilling from her eyes, but despite her efforts a single droplet rolled down her cheek and dripped from her chin and onto the floor, landing on a sliver of glass._

 _"Do you cry now? Stop being so weak. Heartfilia's don't cry. Get out of my sight, you disgust me!"_

 _She turned and calmly walked out of the office, knowing that if she ran she would disappoint Him again. Proper ladies did not run from rooms or slam doors. Proper ladies did not cry or complain. Proper ladies listened to their fathers. She stepped into the dark hallway, ignoring the stinging pain in her feet._

 _The hallway extended longer than she remembered. Her breath fanned across her cold face in a puff of vapor as a chill swept over her and through the darkening hall. The shadows deepened, bringing a soft echoing whisper with them. The voice caressed her skin and entered her mind, bringing the cold and the dark along. Shivering, she turned around to see how far the study was but saw only the bloody imprint of her footprints on the alabaster tiles lining the endless hallway._

 _The voice was a constant hum in her mind and all around her, encasing her entirely and swarming her senses. A shiver crawled down her spine and she shuddered as the air chilled. The pain in her feet numbed, and the voice slowly grew closer and closer._

 _"-nkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high," voice whispered directly into her mind, sending a bolt of stinging cold through her. "-like a diamond in the sky."_

 _"The traveler in the dark, thanks you," the voice paused, and she saw a shadow shift in the distance. Her home had faded to inky shadow, leaving her in a void of darkness. She curled her arms in and whimpered as the shadow shifted closer and closer, until it was standing before her. She could see only the imprint of a man's form, hovering above her. The shadowy figure extended his hand and stroked her cheek, wiping away the streaking tears._

 _"-for your tiny spark." He finished, a flash of a smile appearing in the darkness. The frigid hand against her skin moved down, curling around her neck for a moment before sliding down to her chest. A finger poked at her sternum, and her chest began to glow. Before the light grew enough to expose the man standing before her, it was ripped from her chest and into the man's waiting hand._

 _"I'm so glad you are all alone, my little star," shining, silver ichor dripped onto the ground, pooling together at the man's feet, "and I am so grateful that you will break my curse. I'm coming, my little starlight, so bright."_

 _Screaming, she fell to her knees as pain wracked her body. Her voice faded away until she was left silent, her mouth dropped open as the pain spread throughout her body. Her vision went white, and she saw the man lift her shining heart to his smiling lips, and the last thing she saw was him open his mouth wide and take a bite of her heart, the sound echoing as silver starlight rolled down his chin and sinister laughter filling the air._

 **-ooooo-**

Lucy woke with her voice hoarse and her sheets drenched in sweat. She jolted up and gagged. Stumbling to her feet, her knees gave out and she collapsed and rolled out of her bed, dragging her sheet tangled in her legs with her to the ground. She crawled over to her bathroom, pulling the sheet with her, and threw open the toilet lid and emptied her stomach contents.

Coughing, she tried to catch her breath and twisted to let her forehead rest on the cool porcelain side of the bathtub. She absentmindedly flushed the toilet and wiped her mouth in between gasps. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her heart was a pounding beat pulsing through her entire body, and shivers wracked her body. She lay, shaking and sobbing on her bathroom floor until she calmed enough to lift her head and breathe deeply.

She could still feel the lingering chill from her nightmare. She pulled herself up onto shaky legs and hobbled over to turn on the bathroom light. She hoped the light would help with the chill in her bones, but it did nothing. With a hoarse cry, she grabbed the sheet from the ground and wrapped it around her, but the shivers persisted.

She made her way through her apartment and turned on every single light she owned, bathing every room in warm light. She fell into her bed and grabbed the quilt folded on the end and pulled it over her, hoping to stop her shivering. She shook in her bed, refusing to close her eyes any longer than a blink, and cried. Her hand pressed against her chest and she counted every beat of her heart, which was still beating _inside_ her body.

She was alone. Loneliness pervaded her soul, an aching pit of emptiness that seemed to expand endlessly, swallowing every bit of her it could. She was a little girl, locked in a dark closet with no one to hear her screams or hold her close, whisper sweet reassurances in her ear. She was completely, and utterly _alone_. The silence of her apartment was overbearing, the stillness in the air strange and perverse. She was unwanted, an outcast. Her magic was too strong and would likely kill her before she truly had a chance to live, unless some dark shadow came and _ate_ her heart first.

When the panic refused to fade, and the cold became too much to bear, she blindly reached for her phone and called the only person she trusted to help her.

"Luce? Why're ya calling me so late?" Natsu's voice rasped through her phone. She opened her mouth to speak, but a whimper fell from her lips instead.

"Luce? What's wrong?" His voice called. She could hear his concern, and she tried to speak again, but only managed to stutter, "Please, help."

She heard rustling over the speaker and knew he was getting dressed. She knew she could hang up, but she couldn't bring herself to break her connection with him, be it only through her phone. She heard him speak but couldn't focus on the words. She only saw the shadowy man bite into her glowing heart and hear his gravelly laugh.

Lost in her nightmare, she hardly noticed when he burst through her front door, her name echoing down the hall. She saw him frantically throw open her door and suddenly slide to a stop upon seeing her curled up in her bed, crying and shaking.

He said nothing, only walked over, making sure she was aware of his every move, and slowly climb under her blankets and join her in the bed. He slowly wrapped his arms around her quivering body and drew her into his chest, until her face was buried in the crook of his neck. He hissed when he felt how unnaturally cold her skin was and gazed down into her frightened eyes with only comfort and concern.

"C-c-co-old," she stammered. Nodding, Natsu tucked her head down into his chest and tightened his grip around her, encasing her in his warmth. She felt his arms on her back and his hand stroking her hair, and soon his warmth penetrated the chill that was been present since her nightmare began. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed closer to his hot body. She felt her shivering slow and stop as Natsu created a bubble of calming heat with his aura.

His fingers stroked her skin and his breath fanned over her head. He didn't ask why every light in her home was turned on, or what had frightened her so. He only held her and hummed a low melody until she stopped shaking and her breathing returned to normal. She didn't dare close her eyes yet, despite the comfort she now felt. When she felt calm enough, she pulled back far enough to meet his gaze, but stayed within the confines of his arms.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. Lucy shrugged. She didn't know how to describe the nightmare. It didn't seem like one of her childhood memories come to haunt her sleep, but it wasn't a normal nightmare either. It felt _real_. The dark man had been in her head, somehow.

"I think someone wants to eat my heart," she whispered, scared that if her voice was loud enough, the words would bring the dark beast back to finish what he started. Natsu stilled but remained silent. Slowly, she told him what happened in her dream and felt a knot in her stomach loosen as the words left her mouth.

Natsu's eyes darkened and she felt a growl rumble in his chest. So, he believed her when she said it wasn't just a nightmare.

"I'm staying," He said, his tone leaving no room for argument, not that Lucy wanted him to leave anyway.

"I don't think I ever want you to leave," she murmured. Natsu just hummed, his low voice replacing the slimy laughter ringing in her ears. She did not fall asleep- not that she thought she ever could again- and instead just breathed with Natsu and held him tight. She knew tomorrow would be a big day, filled with questions about the Oracion Seis, and her nightmare after she told Gramps and Levy about it.

But none of that mattered, in her warm bubble in her bed.

She didn't think Natsu slept either, and they held each other as daylight returned and the sun's rays filtered through her curtains and fanned across the room, highlighting the planes of Natsu's calm face and filling the bright room with its radiance. She took a moment to mourn for how high her electricity bill would be for the month.

"That meeting with those other guilds is in a few hours." Natsu's voice was rough and deep, and Lucy smiled to herself. She was being spoiled. Her mornings would now be ruined if he was not with her at this rate.

She groaned and nuzzled into his chest, refusing to get out of bed just yet. When they got out of bed, reality would return, and their bubble would burst. She would have to face the nightmare, and what it meant for the guild. They would have to go meet with three other guilds to deal with one dark alliance hell bent on stealing her Stardust for some nefarious purpose _and_ find out who was out there sending her visions of a heart eating psychopath.

Lucy Heartfilia did not _want_ to get out of bed, but she had to. Before she had a chance to wriggle free from Natsu's arms, her window burst open and a flash of blue streaked across the room.

"Lusheeee! Have you seen Nat-" Happy froze, hovering in the air beside her bed, his eyes wide. Lucy felt Natsu freeze and heard his breath catch. The exceed leered down at the couple and purred, "You liiiiiiike each other!"

Sighing, she sat up in her bed and grabbed the nearest pillow, then chucked it violently at the flying cat with all her might and shouted, "Go away, stupid cat!" Happy just dodged the projectile with a cheerful grin and began chanting about how she an Natsu were in love and were going to make babies together. Her chosen weapon smashed against her closed door and burst, feathers exploding through her room.

Screaming, she leapt from her bed, hopping over Natsu's form, and started chasing the cat around her apartment, waving another pillow as a weapon. A few floating feathers got trapped in her hair, but she was too tired to worry about the mess right then. Eventually she gave up on trying to catch the annoying bastard of a cat and locked herself in her bathroom to take a quick shower before having to leave for Fairy Tail.

She quickly cleaned up her spill from a few hours ago, although it felt like days, and pushed the haunting visions to the back of her mind. Today, she had to convince three guilds about the dangers of the Oracion Seis utilizing her magic, _and_ hope Natsu didn't start a brawl that ended in their tentative alliance crumbling.

Once she finished and got dressed, she left Natsu to nap in her bed and quickly whipped up a simple breakfast with a chatty Happy. She had to promise to buy him as much fish as he wanted for two weeks to keep him from telling anyone what he saw that morning. She could already feel the strain in her wallet. It looked like she would be eating cheap cup ramen and canned food for the foreseeable future.

She glanced down the hall and into her room, where Natsu was lying tangled in her blankets, sound asleep. She felt bad about keeping him up most of the night and was extremely grateful for his presence. How she survived this long without him was a mystery.

"Happy, will you go wake Natsu, so he can eat, and we can go to the guild?" She asked, flipping the bacon out of the pan and onto a plate. Happy giggled.

"I guess you two didn't get much sleep last night, huh," he said with a suggestive wink. Lucy threw a dish towel at him and yelled for him to do as she said and stop making such perverted assumptions. She knew her face was bright red, and she shook her head and groaned. She and Natsu were just friends. Good friends, but nothing more.

Or so she told herself.

By the time they made it to the guild, everyone else had gathered near the portal. Gray somehow still had a shirt on, Erza was in her traditional armor, and Gramps was sitting on the bar counter, a pipe smoking between his lips. Upon seeing her friends, a wave of relief broke through her and Lucy had to grip Natsu's elbow to keep on her feet.

She was not alone, not anymore. A lump formed in her throat and she smiled, wide and brilliant. She saw Gray give her a questioning look, the ice user somehow recognizing the darkness in her and sensing something was off. She just kept the bright smile on her face and let go of Natsu's arm.

"You will be meeting with members of Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus at a neutral location in the forests outside of Crocus. Remember that we _need_ their help in taking down the Balam Alliance-" Makarov pointedly glared over at Natsu, "and to play nice with them. We all want the same thing."

Erza nodded her head, and grabbed the door of the portal, activating the magic pathway. Lucy swallowed past the lump in her throat and inhaled sharply. She glanced at Levy, who came to say goodbye and was sitting, a sleepy smile on her face, at the bar with a hot mug of coffee in her hands. Lucy hardly noticed her own exhaustion with the adrenaline still coursing through her veins and the anxieties about the meeting looming before her.

Gray stepped closer to her, bumping her arm with his, and casting her an inquisitive look, his brow raised in question. She just let out a sigh and bumped him back, telling him she would tell him later with a small shrug and a faltering smile.

Gray just rolled his eyes playfully and pushed her towards the portal. Lucy's grin was more genuine as she stepped through the shimmering doorway with a laugh tickling her lips. She emerged, the usual nausea and vertigo from portal travel only a fraction of what it used to be. She still stumbled over her clumsy feet. Before she had a chance to right herself, Natsu grabbed her arms. She mumbled her thanks and took a minute to take in her surroundings.

They had appeared in the meadow of a forest, the towering trees at the border of the smooth grass and colorful flowers nearing the clouds. Birds sang and chirped from their perches in the branches, and bees peacefully flew from flower to flower. Lucy smiled. Never had she seen anything quite as beautiful so far in her lifetime. Soft morning sunlight glittered through the tree canopy and skittered across the leaves and petals, making them shine like precious gems in the soft rolling grass.

There was no way this meadow was not magical.

A cottage sat in the middle of the clearing. It was small, but quaint. The thatched roof had a smoking chimney, signaling that they were not the first to arrive. All at once, the wonder of the meadow faded as the reality of their situation set in.

Erza marched ahead to the cabin, throwing the door open with her usual confidence and energy. Natsu followed her soon after, but Lucy took another few moments to breathe in the sweet balmy air. Someday, when everything had calmed down, she would return to this meadow with nothing but a journal and a pen and just write for hours and hours with the birds and forest critters to keep her company.

Gray hovered at her side, his concerned eyes staring into hers. She linked her arm in his and started walking to the cabin, where she could already hear Natsu's raucous laugh and Erza's fierce voice echoing through the open doorway.

"Don't forget that I'm here too," Gray whispered, as if not wanting to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the meadow. Lucy stiffened and stumbled.

"I will. It was just a nightmare," she said, her tone making the statement sound more like a question. Gray just hummed and bobbed his head. In that moment, she knew Gray had seen the same slimy darkness. Felt it's oily touch. Her grip on his arm tightened and she leaned into his body. The hidden part of her where the nightmares flourished recognized the torment in Gray's dark gaze.

She patted his arm and felt a little of the crushing weight on her shoulders lift. They strolled through the open doorway together and paused at the sight before them.

A giant of a man, his head completely bald save for a pair of impressive eyebrows, was hunched in the small cottage, accompanied by a woman with long, bright pink hair and a white-haired man that exuded a chilly aura. Gray stiffened next to her and glared at the white-haired man. "Lyon."

"Gray." The man crossed his arms and wrinkled his nose. Lucy glanced between the two, wondering why they were so standoffish. Before she had a chance to ask, two men appeared at either side of her and knelt, grabbing one of her hands to kiss gently.

"My, what a beautiful woman you are," the one with tousled mousey brown hair said with a sparkling smile. His companion, a shorter and younger blonde, nodded in agreement and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the tall, dark skinned companion standing a few feet away. "Tch, she's not _that_ beautiful, well, except for the sparkle in her eyes."

Confused, Lucy gaped at the three handsome men lavishing her with their attentions while Gray was participating in an icy staring match with Lyon and Erza was nowhere to be seen. The tall bald man huffed and rolled his eyes.

" _What lovely parfum!"_ A voice rang through the cottage. Lucy turned, and felt her spirit shatter into a million pieces and her eyes roll back in her skull. Erza was standing near the tall man, a short and strange ginger haired creature clinging to her legs. He sniffed up her calf and towards her thigh. Erza scowled darkly and shook her leg with enough force and speed Lucy couldn't see the movement. The pervy man flew from her leg and crashed into the wall, still moaning about her _parfum._

The three men harassing Lucy gasped and ran towards the man, calling out for their master and digging him from the rubble. Erza's cheeks matched her hair and she looked the most flustered Lucy had ever seen. She stifled her laugh, knowing Erza would not hesitate to turn her wrath to onlookers.

Lyon and Gray rolled their eyes at the antics. Lucy looked towards Natsu, who was standing against the far wall opposite the front door, pensively staring at the open doorway. She learned why when a few seconds later when there was a high-pitched squeal, and Wendy came tumbling through the door and fell into the cottage. Her long hair fanned around her head and the girl groaned.

Lucy was the first to reach her and she helped Wendy back to her feet while asking, "Wendy, what are you doing here?" The sky drakon dusted off her patterned dress and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Master Makarov sent me at the last minute. He said you guys would probably need my healing skills."

Lucy pursed her lips. Despite Wendy's powerful healing powers, she was too young and inexperienced to handle such a dangerous mission, in Lucy's opinion. The girl was too precious to be put in such a dangerous position.

"Good, we could use a healer." The tall man said. Lucy bit her lip but refrained from voicing her opinion on the matter. If Makarov believed Wendy should be a part of their team, she would just have to trust him.

"Welcome, I am glad everyone has arrived," the tall man said. "I am Jura of Lamia Scale, and this is Lyon and Sherry, my companions."

"Good to see you again, Jura. I'm sure you all remember Natsu and Gray, but our newest member Lucy has joined the team, and now Wendy," Erza said, pointing to each of the Fairy Tail mages in turn. Lucy waved nervously at the others with a small smile.

"I am Hibiki and these two are Eve and Ren. We are from Blue Pegasus," the brunette from before said with a bow. He dropped to one knee, his two companions joining him, and pointed towards the ginger man with proud smiles. "And this is our master, Ichiya!"

Ichiya bowed and smiled. Lucy felt her smile morph into a scowl when the man fixed his lecherous gaze on her. Natsu appeared at her side, a growl rumbling from his chest and for once she was glad for his overprotective instincts. If that pervert came near her, she would not hesitate to use deadly force, if necessary.

"Good. I am glad to meet you all. Now, to business," Jura said. He turned his piercing gaze to Lucy, and his brow furrowed.

"I understand you are the source of all this trouble, young miss. Would you care to explain why every dark guild ever known is hunting for you?" He asked. Lucy gulped. She glanced at her teammates, relieved when they smiled and nodded encouragingly. She cleared her throat and began to tell her tale from that fateful night in the alley to their recent discoveries about her heavenly heritage.

 **-00000-**

 **It's currently 2am for me and I'm supposed to be studying or sleeping but instead I finished up this chapter for you all. So please forgive any mistakes, I'm very tired lol.**

 **Anyway, I hoped you all enjoyed this next chapter and I hope you're getting excited for this arc! As always, reviews feed my motivation and I love hearing from you all! Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"Wait so you expect me to believe that you are the granddaughter of a legit fallen star? A big ball of gas in space?" Lyon asked accusingly, looking at Lucy with contempt. She pursed her lips to keep from snapping.

"Yes. To my understanding, it was the _essence_ of the star that became a human and the power of the star is where my magic came from." She sighed. The men of Blue Pegasus had been uncharacteristically silent during her tale, and Hibiki was the first to break it. "Well personally I'm quite glad to say that I've touched the stars with my own two hands."

Lucy rolled her eyes. The men of Blue Pegasus were…slightly underwhelming. While she knew they were likely powerful mages, their personalities left much to be desired. Or rather, much to be missed. She hated their overly flirty personas.

"Oi, Luce, maybe you should do the thing," Natsu said, having stood by her side as she recounted her magical journey in support. Lucy looked at him with confusion, her brow wrinkled.

"You know, the _thing_ you do sometimes," He said, nudging her with his elbow.

"Oh! _That_ thing," she exclaimed. She cautiously looked around the cottage and took a step towards an empty corner, as far from the others as she could get. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, trying to relax her muscles. She smiled over at her friends, who gave her knowing mischievous grins. Gray was the only one who looked a little concerned, no doubt thinking about her literal lackluster appearance this morning.

Lucy knew her magic seeped out of her pores, leaking through her skin, making it glimmer in the light, and pour down from her hair, granting her blonde locks a golden luster. She could see the effects of her magic, especially when out in the dull human world. She knew her eyes had a slight sparkle to them, the flecks of stardust glimmering in her irises radiant against the brown of her eyes. Normally, she kept a good portion of her focus on maintaining as much of a human-esque appearance as she could, but for the skeptical mages relying on the truth of her tale she decided to release the damper she kept over her appearance.

She let it happen slowly, let the heavenly ichor in her veins run thick and fill her cells. Then, she called for the starlight burning with the force of the heavens inside of her, to shine.

Natsu called it her "glow-stick effect," but Lucy hated his nickname for when her starlight roamed free across her body. She released her aura and let her light fill the air, the heat from its power slowly pouring through the room.

She looked down at her arms, satisfied to see a bright light shining from her skin. She smiled brightly, her new companions wearing various expressions of surprise and awe. Sherry looked the most excited, and Lyon's jaw had dropped open. Even Jura raised one of his strange eyebrows in surprise. The men of Blue Pegasus were slack jawed and awestruck. Her teammates looked smug.

Lucy laughed, her magic reacting to her mood and flaring through the room. She knew her body was almost indiscernible from the radiance she projected, and when everyone slowly moved to cover their eyes, she focused on reigning her power back underneath her skin where it belonged. Her magic seemed to let out a mournful noise as it was compressed again into her body. Her eyes caught on the brief but blinding reflection of her light against Gray's silver necklace, which had been revealed a few seconds ago as he removed his shirt.

 _"Star light, star bright."_

That voice. Its slimy whisper slid back into her mind and brought the memories of her nightmare and the unbearably cold darkness that came with it. Goosebumps dotted her flesh and her breath caught in her throat. Flashes of the man in her nightmare _reaching_ into her chest and violently pulling her shining heart out swarmed her thoughts.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut to block out the memories, which was a terrible mistake. The darkness floating against her eyelids sent her into a panic. Her heart pounded in her chest, the pulsing beat echoing in her skull. Her fear overtook her senses and overpowered her rational mind.

She opened her eyes with a low gasp and let her magic swarm in her again. The power ringing in her veins thrummed to life and coated her skin defensively. She felt the control over her aura and her starlight slip from her mental grasp, and knew she was about to ruin Makarov's carefully laid out plans.

Her Stardust pulsed alongside her heartbeat and grew and grew with each breath. Starlight burst from her as she let out a scream and threw her arms wide, sending a wave of burning heat and blinding light through the cottage. She could hear the telltale ring of her aura fill her ears, and vaguely saw humanoid forms in the light fall to their knees and desperately try to plug their ears.

Lucy lost herself in the fear clouding her mind and her heart, and let her magic take over and send her spiraling towards a devastating supernova.

 **-ooooo-**

Natsu knew something was wrong when her warm brown eyes widened and clouded with utter terror. He could almost feel her tension thickening in the air. He caught the scent of her fear a moment later, right before she spread her arms wide and screamed in agony, her magic flaring.

High-pitched ringing overwhelmed his sensitive hearing and his knee buckled while he tried to regain his bearings. The fire drakon hissed and clenched his eyes shut against the blinding flash of starlight flaring through the cottage.

He _knew_ he should have postponed this meeting after walking in to find her in such a state last night.

When she called, he was half asleep and forgot that it was strange for her to call so late. Then her terrified gasps and pleas echoed through the phone and he nearly lost it. Not again. He couldn't lose her _again._

He bounded across Magnolia, keeping their connection open and whispering reassurances through the phone to try to help her. When he finally did arrive at her apartment, no foreign scents anywhere to be found, he let a little relief relax his shoulders and calm his mind.

And when he found her, shivering and sobbing and shaking alone, his heart shattered. It was when he crawled into her bed that he noticed the unearthly cold clinging to her aura, and when she told him of her nightmare it made sense. _Something_ had reached out to her through her dreams.

Something that wanted to eat her heart.

This was worse.

She let loose _all_ of her control leashing her wild and heavenly magic out of fear, as a defense mechanism. He remembered the last time she let her aura burst, but it was nothing compared to the level of chaos she was nearing now.

Even Natsu, a creature born of flame, could feel the sting of the heat waving out from her blazing form. He peered through his fingers and saw only bright white. Cursing, he tried to look behind him at the others, but saw only the barest of shadows fighting against her light. Jura it seemed was smart enough to raise a wall of earth between his team and Lucy and was slowly trying to do the same for Natsu's team and those perverts, but he could barely maintain his own defenses against the pure energy crashing into it.

He cursed again, more creatively. He did not know what on Earthland triggered her fear response, but he had to guess it was about her nightmare.

Natsu screamed her name, but his voice was swallowed by the ringing that filled the air. He could barely see Lucy's silhouette inside that mass of magic and starlight, but Natsu knew he had to get to her, somehow.

Before she burnt her body to ash.

Right before he made his move, the earth beneath him gaped open and swallowed him up, concealing him from the brunt of Lucy's power.

He could vaguely hear thuds and groans in the dark cavern summoned beneath the cottage, and when he coated his arm in red-hot flames he saw his companions crouched together in the makeshift ditch.

They could still hear the ringing, though muffled by the dirt, and feel the waves of heat, but it was infinitely better than being stuck directly in the path of Lucy's rampage.

"She doesn't know what she's doing, she's lost control!" He yelled over the bickering and panic. Erza turned and fixed Natsu with a hard stare, waiting for him to continue. Even Lyon had shut his trap. Maybe it was the fact that the white-haired bastard was another ice user, but Lyon annoyed Natsu to no end, almost like how he felt towards the stripper.

"Last night, she was visited in a night terror by some creature that threatened to hunt her down and eat her heart, most likely for her magic. I think somehow she's reacting to her fear and she lost control," he said in a rush. Every second he wasted down here explaining was another second closer to Lucy's demise.

Gray cursed and even Erza looked unsettled.

"What would you have us do? None can get close enough to her now, she's like a living star brought to Earth," Jura said, sweat dripping down his brow from the effort of maintaining their shelter. Natsu clenched his jaw. Honestly, he hadn't thought that far. He only knew that he had to get to Lucy and stop her before it was too late.

He never knew this was the potential threat of her magic, of its strength. It should have terrified him, but he only felt the rush of adrenaline flooding his bloodstream and the excitement bubbling within his chest. A primal, draconic part of him relished in this display of her strength since it symbolized a good mate.

Natsu decided to ignore his draconic instincts and push that four-letter word to the very back of his mind.

"Can you reach through to her?" Gray asked, his voice as cold as his magic. Natsu met his dark eyes and nodded solemnly. He had no other choice.

"I can try and carve a path with my ice shields to help get you there," he offered. Natsu accepted his offer with another nod.

"Jura send us back up." Natsu lit his entire body in his flames, hoping they would provide some protection from the piercing starlight. He always knew Lucy's magical potential was vast, but to see it in person, it was cataclysmic.

Jura sent Natsu flying back into the cottage, shooting him through the earth to prevent too much of Lucy's destructive aura penetrate his underground sanctuary. Somehow, it was worse. The light was blinding even with his eyes shut, and the heat was nearly unbearable even for him.

"You know, I always wondered if I could survive if launched into the sun, but now I think I know what it would be like," he rambled. He winced as his protective layers of flame buckled against the battering of Lucy's piercing energy. Cursing, he relied on muscle memory to traverse across the room, following the heat and energy until he reached Lucy. He couldn't sense Gray in the chaos, but he felt the mage's ice shooting around him, helping him on his path.

He could barely see her form through the brilliant starlight, nor could he hear his own voice as he screamed her name. Leo's warning on the threat of a fatal supernova echoed in his mind and he would admit that he was utterly terrified. His heart pounded in his chest and for the first time, Natsu was truly afraid for Lucy's life. When she was taken by Phantom Lord, he knew he would get her back. Knew it like he knew his father was still alive somewhere, deep in his bones. Even when he found her beaten and bloody and looking like death, he knew that Wendy and Porlyusica would heal her. Sure, he was scared, but Natsu mostly hated himself for leaving her alone to get taken in the first place, and then not rescuing her fast enough.

But now, facing the true might of a star, Natsu felt cold terror vibrating in every fiber of his being.

So, Natsu did the only thing he could think of to get her attention: he hugged her.

 **-ooooo-**

She was drowning. There was no such thing as time in this void of light and magic. She did not have a physical body, or a name. She simply existed, burning and shining. But there was an ancient and primal consciousness melding with her own, or what used to be her consciousness. She couldn't tell anymore.

She just was. In the very far corner of her existence she could feel something, like an itch on a body she no longer possessed. Something trying to reach out and warn her, maybe. But she was busy doing what she always did, shine and burn. If any darkness tried to pierce her light, it would simply burn and dissolve away in the might of her power. She was safe, in this space.

Why did she need to be safe again? There was no darkness in the endless starlight, therefore no reason to feel any kind of fear. Yet the itch just grew. Slowly, she began to feel herself again. She felt her feet in her shoes, a blister forming on her heel. The shoes were new, that's why she had a blister. She'd bought them with some of the money she had left after paying her bills. She could feel her hands, lying limp at her sides.

Slowly, molecule by molecule, she felt her body reformed. She could feel something warm wrapped around her, covering her new, but at the same time old body. She felt her hair tickling her neck and face.

Lucy opened her eyes, flecked with remnants of stardust and light, and was back in reality again. She gaped at the scorch marks score into the wood around her feet and flaring across the rest of the wooden paneling. Dread dripped down her spine. There was a mound of earth breaking through the floor, and none of her comrades were in the cottage anymore.

She felt warm arms around her, one curling around her waist and the other across her back, a hand on her shoulder. She heard shuddering breathing next to her ear and felt hot air blowing down her neck.

"Natsu?" She asked softly, her voice hoarse. He was hugging her, squeezing her almost too tight. A sigh of relief sounded, and Natsu's hold on her loosened and his body relaxed. She returned his embrace and nuzzled into his shoulder, still reeling from her flashback. She could barely believe how easily she lost control, and how violent her magical outburst had been.

Muffled voices argued from beneath the mound of earth, and Lucy surmised that was where the rest of her team was, hiding from _her._

"Natsu, what did I do?" She asked, horrified by her own actions. Natsu just hummed against her neck and pulled her closer to him. "Don't worry about it."

Huffing, she just let herself be held and tried to calm the shaking of her limbs and the rapid beating of her heart. A moment later, she could hear the shouting beneath the mound grow louder, but still incomprehensible, and there was a crack, then the dome fell apart, revealing her new teammates, slightly dirtier than they were before.

Lucy tried to push Natsu away, so she could go apologize and beg for forgiveness, but he wouldn't budge.

"Natsu, you can let me go now," she started, trying to push his body off of her, but then she felt a cold pit of emptiness open inside of her, where her magic was usually concentrated and then she was dizzy and started to sway. She could see Gray's eyes, wide with fear, as he ran towards her, but then black spots dotted her vision and a ringing filled her ears.

She was so cold, without her magic. Her stores were completely drained, worse than drained. Her body tingled, and she felt sore all over. Soon her knees gave out, Natsu the only thing holding her body up.

Gray was at her side then, holding her back and keeping her upright. Natsu growled low in his throat when Gray touched her, but still refused to let her go. Lucy saw Wendy in her vision, between the blackness, then she passed out.

Luckily, she woke only a few moments later, thanks to Wendy's quick healing magic, but she could still feel the cold absence of her magic, the freeze spreading through her body. Wendy held her glowing hands over her chest, her face pinched in concentration as she staved off a likely fatal case of magical depletion.

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but only a groan sounded. She was exhausted, and her body was pulsing with pain. Gray was on her left, holding her hand in his with a stern expression. Lucy did her best to squeeze his fingers, to let him know she was okay, and he smiled down at her and squeezed back.

"You gave us quite the scare," Erza said, her face appearing over Lucy's, the red-head scanning Lucy's body and taking stock of her condition. Lucy opened her mouth to apologize, but still her voice would not come. Erza squatted down by her head and patted Lucy's shoulder with a softness in her gaze Lucy did not think the Valkyrie was capable of.

It was then that she felt the warmth on her other side. Natsu. She moved to turn her head and look over at him, laying beside her, but Gray and Erza held her where she was.

"Natsu?" She called in a rasping voice, waiting to feel his arms around her move, or to hear some kind of idiotic remark on rescuing her again, but nothing came. There was only silence. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt it drop into her gut.

"Natsu?" She asked again, her voice wobbling. She met Gray's steely gaze and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "What did I do?"

"Nothing worse than some of the scrapes he's already been in," Gray said, not willing to lie to her and say everything was okay. Flashes of memory filled Lucy's mind, of Natsu wrapping his arms around her burning form and bringing her back from the brink of a catastrophic supernova. She knew Natsu could withstand some of the hottest fires, and even create them himself, but how did he fare against the true might of a star?

"Wendy, you need to stop healing me and take care of him," she ordered, her voice gaining strength as the worst of the magical depletion sickness faded. Wendy shook her head and doubled her efforts.

"Wendy! Listen to me! I am fine now, you take care of him!" She shouted. The girl looked at her then, faced the wall of determination in her eyes that left no room for disagreement, and then slowly nodded. Wendy moved out of Lucy's vision and she could see the glow of healing magic from the corner of her eyes.

Without Wendy's input of magic, Lucy could feel the freezing ache in her bones and her blood. She gritted her teeth and sat up, pulling away from Natsu's limp arms. Gray kept a hold of her hand, his grip acting as her anchor. She twisted and faced what her actions had wrought.

Natsu was covered in burns, his skin blackened and charred. The flesh of his arms and chest was nearly melted from his bones, and she could barely see his chest rise when he breathed. Wendy was hard at work, sweat dripping from her brow as she healed him. Lucy watched as the worst of the burns healed before her eyes, a combination of his own healing powers working in tandem with Wendy's.

"No, oh what have I done," she gasped, squeezing Gray's hand. The ice mage knelt next to her and pulled her back into his chest.

"He's alive. He has seen worse, and he's already healing." Gray provided something for Lucy to lean against as they watched Wendy work, the other guild members watching in silence. Lucy kept quiet and nearly held her breath as she watched each scar and burn fade until his skin was tinted pink, then healed. Lucy knew she would have to explain herself sooner rather than later, but she _had_ to know that Natsu was going to be okay.

Wendy wobbled, the girl nearly spent after bringing both Lucy and Natsu back from the brink. Erza was already at her side with a bottle of water and some crackers, summoned from the same pocket space Erza used to store her armor and weapons. Lucy kept her gaze locked on Natsu's face, watching for any movement. Gray watched with her, holding her steady, and Lucy knew she would be forever grateful for her friend.

A few seconds later, Natsu's eyelids twitched and he groaned. His eyes slowly blinked open and a muttered curse fell from his lips. Lucy collapsed against Gray in relief with a sob. He was alive, no thanks to her. Her tears cascaded down her pale cheeks, warm against her chilled skin. Gray's presence was a comfort, but he was doing nothing to stave off the chill in her bones.

Lucy fell further into Gray's chest, her fist curling against his bare chest. Somewhere along the line, he'd lost his shirt, but at least he was still wearing his pants. She vaguely heard Erza talking to Natsu, then to their new teammates. Lucy took a shaky breath and wiped her tears, muttering her thanks to Gray, who just hummed in acknowledgement. He helped her rise to her feet, her legs still unsteady.

"I am so terribly sorry," she said, looking at each person in the room. She bowed her head and apologized again and held her shaking hands clasped together. Surprisingly, it was Jura who approached her first, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You are not the first to be plagued by such terrors, or the first to lose control. Everyone in this room has experienced the same thing at least once. Do not worry, child."

Her eyes welled up again and she sniffled while she thanked the taller man. Jura patted her shoulder, then turned to the others, who nodded in agreement with his words.

"I will say, I am surprised you were telling the truth when you said you were descended from a real-life star," Lyon said, rubbing his temple with a grimace. The girl standing near Lyon nodded somberly in agreement. Lucy swallowed past the lump of emotion in her throat and smiled gratefully, unable to find the words to express her gratitude for their acceptance.

"Your magic has a wonderful _parfum_ ," Ichiya said, twirling around on his feet until he reached her. The small and strange man grabbed her hand and pressed his nose against her skin and sniffed loudly. Lucy quickly pulled away from him and took a step back, her nose wrinkling in distaste. Warmth bloomed in the room, a wave of heat wafting from behind her. A small seed dwelling deep inside her chest pulsed, the same warmth spreading through her body.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing to my Luce?" Natsu growled. Lucy froze. She didn't want to turn and face him yet, not after what she did to him. Her heart pulsed frantically, and she was sure it was loud enough for Natsu to hear with his sensitive ears.

She felt Gray's cold presence step away, and a much warmer person now stood directly behind her. She did not move, even as he dropped his chin onto her shoulder and wrapped his newly healed arms around her waist. She could practically _feel_ his glare. Ichiya had the sense to return to his posse.

Natsu turned his face into the crook of her neck, his nose brushing in her hair and she could feel the rumbling purr in his chest against her back. She knew she should move and get as far away from him as possible, for his own safety, but he was so warm and she was so cold.

His heat bled into her, and she gladly leeched his warmth despite her inner turmoil. Lucy found herself leaning back into Natsu, her body used to his presence and his touch. Natsu hummed, his arms wrapping around her waist and drawing her closer.

"'m glad you're okay," he whispered against her skin. Lucy started to shake. She was so full of regret and guilt that she felt as though she would explode from the force of the wild sea of emotions rolling inside of her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice cracking. Natsu stopped nuzzling into her neck and she felt his hot exhale against her chilled skin. She hunched over, drawing her shoulders in, and pulled her arms into her chest. "How can you ever forgive me?"

Erza cleared her throat, the sound deafening in the thick silence, and she loudly and dramatically said, "I think I need some fresh air."

"Oh-right. Yes. I do too," Gray stuttered, following after Erza-who was holding a dozing Wendy, and leaving the cottage, dragging Lyon behind him. Lucy felt her face flush as the others filtered out of the room with equally lame excuses, leaving her and Natsu alone.

Once the door closed behind Jura, who turned to give her a smile and a wink before leaving, Lucy tried to pull out of Natsu's grasp, but the drakon held firm.

"Natsu, I don't want to hurt you-" she started, only for a fierce snarl to cut her words short. Her breath caught in her chest as he hunched over her. Sometimes she forgot how much taller he was compared to her.

"You did not hurt me. You lost control and it wasn't you anymore," he said, his voice low. Lucy opened her mouth to argue with him, but Natsu continued before she had a chance. "Take it from someone who has been through the same thing more times than he can count. When the magic, the other part of you, takes control like that, it's actions are not your fault."

"But I hurt you," she said, turning so that they faced each other, their noses only inches apart. "I nearly k-kil-" her voice broke and she felt fresh tears tracking down her cheeks. Natsu grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his burning gaze. His green eyes were dark as he stared deep inside her soul.

"I won't say I forgive you, because there is nothing to forgive. It was not your fault. I know it was the nightmare," he said, his gaze hardening. "I should have protected you."

Lucy reached down and grabbed his hand and squeezed it within hers. "The nightmare is not your fault and there was nothing to be done, by anyone," she said firmly. Lucy held his gaze with a fire in her own eyes until he nodded. His hand on her chin dropped to cup her neck, his thumb stroking her jaw.

"I thought I'd lost you," he murmured, an emotion she couldn't place swirling in his eyes. Lucy felt a blush bloom on her cheeks as she leaned into his touch and realized just how close they were.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. Natsu took a deep breath and leaned down so that their foreheads touched. His bangs tickled her nose and she bit back a smile. She felt safe in his presence. It was like he was the missing piece of a puzzle she didn't know she needed.

She expected her heart to be pumping a thousand miles a minute, but she only felt at peace. Her gaze dropped down to his lips, which were mere centimeters away from her own and close enough for her to feel his breath fan against her face. She closed her eyes and just let her anxieties go with a sigh. She felt Natsu's hand grip her waist and his thumb stroked her jaw. In the back of her mind, Lucy knew her actions were not that of a mere friend and that she was walking a dangerous line as her feelings grew stronger.

Natsu's breath hitched and she felt warm breath fan across her face as he leaned closer and she felt her heart skip a beat. She kept her eyes closed as Natsu's lips grew closer to her own and she felt his warmth-

A scream cut through the air, and she jerked back. Eyes wide, she grabbed Natsu's arms and turned towards the door, where another scream sounded from the meadow. She glanced at Natsu, who gritted his teeth and nodded, then they ran out the door together.

It was chaos. Giant waves of earth and dirt crested above them as Jura hurled spikes of earth towards the far end of the meadow, a plume of dust and debris blocking out whatever enemy the mage sought. Lucy felt a wave of cold air and saw Gray shoot a volley of lances across to the other side of the meadow, shouting, "He's too damn fast! Where'd he go?"

Lucy reached for her keys, ready to summon one of her friends to help, when there was a blast of air that sent her flying into the air with a yelp. She heard Natsu scream her name. Twisting, she landed back on her feet, but her ankle rolled beneath her weight and she heard a crack, then pain shot up her leg.

She stumbled and fell, then saw her keys land near the other end of the meadow in a pool of yellow flowers. Cursing, she pushed to her feet. Lucy didn't have a drop of magic left, but maybe she could muster the strength to summon Leo long enough for him to open his own gate. She heard another scream and realized the person screaming was Wendy. Fear pulsed alongside her heart, pumping adrenaline through her blood and helping her stumble across the meadow, past the pits where Jura pulled earth and around the ice and blades.

What happened? Who was attacking? She had zero information and could barely hear or see in the chaos as Natsu joined the fight, his flames arcing across the meadow, burning the blooming flowers and trees. She watched as his flame consumed whatever was in its path, a spark of hope lighting inside of her and burning with his fire.

Groaning, she limped over to where her keys fell, only for another wave of air to push her back. She slid across the grass and nearly fell into a pit as Jura lifted more dirt to use in his fight. Lucy looked around, trying to find out who was attacking her and the others, but saw nothing.

Silence fell across the valley, even the birds halting their songs, and the dust settled. It must have been only a minute since the first scream sounded and the attacks began, but already the meadow was carved open and charred. She saw Natsu, standing beside Gray, a few feet away, each with their fists ready and eyes scanning the tree-line.

"Natsu, what's happening?" She asked as she rose onto unsteady feet, her ankle pulsing in pain. Natsu didn't answer, nor did he look at her. She noticed then how his body was vibrating, and plumes of flame rolled across his skin, nearly at random, and smoke curled from his snarling lips. He was more furious than she'd ever seen before.

Gray was equally furious, frost misting around his form as he kept deadly focus on the surrounding trees. Lucy turned and looked back towards the cabin and saw Jura standing with the members of Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus, each bruised and battered and equally focused on the surrounding area as her own guild mates.

Confused, Lucy turned and looked to where she heard Wendy screaming. Peering through the dust and ash, she could see a splash of scarlet and she smiled. It was Erza, sitting hunched over near Wendy with one of her sharpest daggers in her hand. Lucy's smile fell as finally the area cleared and she could see what made Wendy scream.

Erza's left arm was a deep purple, bands of poisonous green winding up from her palm, spreading higher with every breath. Lucy watched in horror as Wendy, with tears streaking down her face, tied a scrap of fabric around Erza's upper arm, halting the spread of whatever had poisoned the Valkyrie.

Lucy screamed alongside Erza as she lifted her knife and brought it down on her own arm, cutting off the spread of the poison.

 **I'm back! I had so much fun on my trip abroad, and now I'm ready to write this next, exciting part of this story. The nalu is growing and soon, maybe, there could be something special ;)**

 **As always, I love to hear from you readers, so leave a review, if you please! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Lucy screamed as red splattered against the grass and flowers. Blood.

She peered through the dust and felt her heart plummet and plunge down through her stomach. Erza could _not_ have just cut her own damned arm off. It wasn't possible.

Luckily, she hadn't.

Wendy stood with Erza's blade trapped between her hands with less than in inch between the deadly sharp metal and Erza's poisoned flesh, a furiously focused expression on her young face. The sinister blade cut deep into Wendy's palms, but the young drakon didn't seem to care. Erza looked shocked, staring down at where her disembodied limb should have been before looking up at Wendy with something like pride in her dark eyes.

"Let me fix it," Wendy panted, refusing to let go of the blade until Erza relented. Lucy wanted to run over there and help, knowing Wendy was way too depleted to properly heal Erza without significantly injuring herself, but she _had_ to find her keys. Her keychain was sitting gently in a patch of purple and yellow pansies, the metal catching the sunlight and shining among the brilliant flowers.

She turned her focus away from Erza and Wendy, knowing the two of them would figure out something less drastic than cutting of Erza's arm. Right now, they had to figure out who was attacking them and why. Well, she had a good inkling as to _why_ they were being attacked and suspicions on the who, but they needed more information.

They needed to get back to Fairy Tail as soon as possible. She pushed past the pain in her ankle and slowly inched closer to Natsu and Gray, who stood between her and her keys. If they, along with Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale, could distract their mysterious attackers, she could find the strength to summon someone.

Already, despite Wendy's help, she was starting to feel the fatigue of magic depletion tugging at her limbs. Hissing, she paused a few feet away from Gray, who was fuming and focused on the tree line with ice coating his arms.

"Gray," she said slowly, her fear obvious in her tone. Gray just nodded, already on the same page. They had to get Erza and get out of there. Everyone could regroup and figure out the next move when they were safe.

But Lucy had to get her spirits back. She figured whoever was knocking her away from them was the same blurred figure causing havoc for Natsu and Gray, someone with extreme speed abilities. She had a cut on her brow and she could feel a droplet of blood sliding down her sweaty skin. Her ankle was throbbing in pain and everyone else seemed equally injured so far. Natsu was facing away from her, his eyes scanning the trees, so she couldn't tell if he was injured.

She felt her concern for him well up inside of her, stronger than it had been before. She knew he was plenty capable of defending himself, but she couldn't help but worry. Especially when she knew his personality. No way would he want to leave when the bastards who were attacking their group were still around.

Lucy took stock of the state of the meadow, which was nearly destroyed, and those inside of it. The men of Blue Pegasus were gathered together to her left, each back to back to form a circle. The mages of Lamia Scale looked somewhat ruffled, Jura appearing to be the center of their trio as they slowly inched closer to where Natsu was standing. Erza had a fierce looking sword in her good hand while Wendy was focused on subduing the poison in her other arm, her glowing healing magic flickering as the girl tried her best to use the last of her power.

All in all, they were in terrible shape. Lucy kept glancing over at her keys, anxious to get them and hating how vulnerable they looked in the patch of pansies. She knew that when she tried to grab them, though, that mysterious speedster would undoubtedly attack again.

At that moment, an idea popped into her head. An awful idea, but an idea nonetheless. She knew nobody would like it, least of all Natsu, but it was their best chance at deterring the speedster.

"Natsu," she said, her anticipation growing with each passing second as their attackers waited. She heard him hum in response, refusing to turn his gaze away from the shadowed trees looming around the once peaceful meadow.

"I have an idea," she began, wincing at how much she was going to hurt afterwards. Their opponents chose to make their move after she created a chaotic environment with her outburst, so maybe she could do it again and use her starlight against them. There was no telling how many were out there, waiting to attack, but if she could at least stop the speedster long enough for Natsu and Gray to make their moves it might be enough for them to catch their bearings.

"I need you both to close your eyes when that speedster comes back," she continued. She knew he would attack again when she went after her keys, so that would be when she'd make her move. Lucy doubted she had enough magic left in her to turn on the light and heat for too long before either exploding or passing out.

Gray glanced at her, worry in his gaze. He knew what she was planning, even if Natsu hadn't put it together yet. Lucy hoped the others would get with the plan once she made her move, but she didn't want to risk trying to communicate with them.

She felt Natsu's attention on her, even if he wasn't looking at her. Taking a few deep breaths, she darted towards her keys, reaching out blindly as she dove towards them.

Lucy reached down into the core of her magic and tugged with all her might, begging her starlight to shine just as bright as it did before. She allowed the fear of her nightmare to fuel her magic and she held the light just under her skin and waited for the opportune moment. Straining, she reached towards her keys and felt the barest brush of wind hit her fingertips.

Screaming, she pushed her magic through her skin and out, letting the brilliant light seep from her every pore. She heard a curse and saw a shadow from the corner of her eye as she fell towards the ground, pushing every last bit of her energy into maintaining the blinding light.

Everything went white and she crashed into the ground and into the depths of her stardust, the golden energy encasing her in its all-consuming warmth.

 **-ooooo-**

When Lucy said she had a plan, Natsu trusted her without pause or question. She was one of the smartest people he knew, if not _the_ smartest. He had absolute faith in her abilities and knew whatever she had in mind would work. She told him to close his eyes at some point, which he didn't totally understand but would do when the time came.

His mind flashed back to their moment in the cabin, when he nearly kissed her before everything went to shit. He didn't know what had come over him. He only knew that he had to be close to her and when she leaned into his touch, he couldn't help himself. Her presence was intoxicating. The sweet scent of stardust along with the constant golden glow she exuded always drew him in and he never wanted to leave her.

It was strange, since Natsu had never felt this way about anyone before. He wasn't sure what to do and had decided to trust his instincts. They rarely led him astray before and he found that he really wanted to kiss Lucy.

Even now, his attention was half focused on her presence from where she stood slightly behind him and next to Gray. His ears listened to her breathing and his nose caught her scent in the wind. He was so in tune with her breathing that his started to match her own.

So, when she darted off towards the other end of the clearing, he let his attention on the trees where their enemies were hiding falter. It only took a fraction of a second for his mistake to cost him. Natsu turned towards where Lucy was running as he heard her scream and was blasted back by the force of the magic that exploded from her. Sliding against the dirt, he lifted his hands to block the intense light and blasting heat.

Cursing, he saw exactly why she decided to explode again. There was a shadow reeling away from the starlight burning from her as she fell against the ground, the man clutching at his face. Growling, Natsu ran at the shadowed man, using his sense of smell to target since he could barely see anything in the brilliant light streaming from Lucy.

He quickly let loose a fiery roar, the pillar of flames hitting the shadowed figure dead on right before a volley of ice lances struck. While the figure was recovering, Natsu darted past and grabbed Lucy's limp body and her keys, stuffing them in one of his pockets. He winced as her starlight burned his skin, but he _had_ to get her out of there.

Gray kept up his attack as he charged towards the figure, who was quickly recovering from Lucy's attack. Natsu could hear shouting from the other guilds as they were affected by the force of Lucy's magic again. Luckily, Jura got with the program and began attacking the figure before he ran off back to the dark trees in a blur.

Natsu laid Lucy down on the soft grass, one of the few undisturbed parts of the meadow left and held her face in his hands. She was completely unconscious, and thankfully he could feel the heat leaving her skin and saw the light begin to fade. Sighing in relief, he gently scooped her back into his arms and regrouped with the others.

The white-haired ice mage was cursing and rubbing his eyes, grumbling under his breath. Jura had the pink-haired girl under his arm as they limped to the center of the meadow where everyone else was gathering. Wendy and Erza had even moved to join the group. Erza's arm was no longer sickly colored and he couldn't smell as much rot and poison from her. Natsu couldn't remember any of the other people's names, which didn't matter. All that mattered was if they could fight.

Lucy's skin gradually cooled as her magic faded, but as the light shining from within her dimmed, she looked paler and sicker. Her skin turned ice-cold and sallow and Natsu felt his heart sink in his chest. She needed healing, as soon as possible. Wendy was just as burnt out, Erza practically carrying the small drakon despite her own injuries. Cursing, he held her tighter against his chest and increased his own body temperature to warm her.

"Gray, we gotta go," he growled, his overprotective instincts kicking in full blast. A part of him wanted to charge out after their new enemies and show them exactly what would happen for messing with his family and his guild, but thankfully the small rational side of his brain won out. Their group was caught by surprise and unable to catch up. Half of them were seriously injured and their only supportive mage was out of commission.

"I fucking know, flame-brain," Gray cursed. Another snarl built in Natsu's chest. He glanced around the darkened tree line again, but Lucy's body in his arms distracted his keen senses.

"Fairy Tail," a deep masculine voice boomed from the surrounding forest. "And others. You know about us, and you know what we want. Let this be a warning to you of our power. We won't go so easy on you next time." The voice cut off with a low laugh. Natsu felt another angry growl rumble from his throat as he sensed their opponents disappear into the forest.

There was a tense few moments of silence. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. When there was not any sign of their attackers for a couple minutes, everyone let loose a relieved breath. Natsu was still curled around Lucy, his entire attention focused on her. Wendy and Erza were being held up by the three men from Blue Pegasus, the short strange one was collapsed on the ground near them.

He heard talk of a portal, and vague discussion on what to do next, but he couldn't focus when Lucy felt like she was dying in his arms. Despite his attempts to warm her, she was still freezing, and he felt a wave of panic rising within him. He focused on that kernel of his power he felt inside her, the tiniest spark of magic. He pressed his forehead against hers, hissing at the chill on his skin.

"Luce, you gotta stay with me," he whispered. He pushed his magic through their connected foreheads and focused on that kernel of his magic he knew dwelled inside of her. He remembered, when she first fainted from using too much magic, how a deep fear rooted in his chest as he stared at her unconscious form, and how he somehow built a bridge between their magic. He focused on that bridge now, sending waves of heat pulsing across it and pulling at the tether between them. A tether that had only grown in intensity over the past few weeks.

He felt her sigh, the air washing across his lips, and felt her aura warm slightly. It wasn't enough, but it was a start. Natsu still felt an anvil of fear weighing him down, but now they had time to get an actual healer.

"-Tail guild is the safest, since our run in with Phantom Lord its location has been top secret, even from the magic council," Erza explained. Natsu nodded and grunted his agreement. At Fairy Tail, Porlyusica could come and tend to their injuries. To Lucy's injuries. Her attack plan wasn't the safest, nor the smartest, but it worked well enough to distract the speedster so he could land a hit.

Before he knew it, with the help of Jura, Erza and Gray had created the portal. Natsu lifted Lucy in his arms, cradling her head against the crook of his neck, and carried her through the glowing doorway. He came out on the other side in the entrance of Fairy Tail's bar, surrounded by wounded, with nausea curling in his gut.

He heard a platter of glasses clatter against the ground and sounds of shock echo through the near empty chamber as the guild took notice of their sudden arrival. He heard Mira calling out for Makarov and Laxus and then those in the guild were crowding around them, helping the newcomers find chairs and asking a million questions. Natsu chose to let the others answer, since he had bigger problems.

"We need Porlyusica!" He shouted, just as Erza and Wendy stumbled through the portal and collapsed against the guild floor. Wendy was passed out and pale, and Erza wasn't much better. Mira was at Wendy's side in an instant, concern washing away the fury in her blue eyes. Cana was staring at her cards with a conflicted expression, a barrel of liquor on the counter next to her. She quickly abandoned her drink and whatever her cards were telling her to join in the chaos.

Makarov burst from his office with Laxus hot on his heels, each bearing confused looks before a grim realization broke on their faces. Everyone was hustling around and not doing anything to help Lucy. Levy was by Wendy's side, and there was a loud hum from melding voices. Natsu, who was standing closer to the edge of the crowd, snarled and tightened his grip on Lucy.

"I said, _we_ _need_ _Porlyusica_!" He screamed, his voice booming through the guild and catching the attention of his fellow mages. Levy rose from her crouch, covering her mouth with her hand in shock when she saw Lucy's dim form in his arms.

"Lucy!" Levy cried, running towards him. She reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from Lucy's face. Levy sniffled and grabbed Lucy's dangling hand, gasping when she felt the chill of her friend's skin. Natsu clutched Lucy tighter against his chest, a protective growl rumbling from him. His draconic instincts were beginning to take over and he didn't think he'd stay in control for very much longer. His Lucy was injured and needed healing, but nobody was doing anything.

A few minutes passed, though for Natsu they felt like an eternity, and the portal shone again as Porlyusica stepped through and into chaos. The older woman was immediately swarmed by guild members, each demanding they heal someone else first. Nastu felt his temper slip from his grasp.

"If you bastards don't get out of my fucking way I'll burn you to a crisp," he snarled to the crowd surrounding the only woman who could heal Lucy's magic depletion sickness. Nab paled and pulled Warren out of the way to let Natsu through.

"You need to heal her," he said to Porlyusica, the woman tending to Wendy with Erza at the young girl's side. The pink haired witch looked up and frowned when she saw Lucy. "Wendy is in safe enough condition now. She'll just need to sleep off the sickness and take this tonic two times a day." She handed Erza a small bottle of deep blue shimmering liquid.

Erza nodded solemnly and stayed near the unconscious wind drakon. Porlyusica quickly joined Levy at Natsu's side, her eyes assessing the blonde's grave condition. She pointed to an empty table and ordered Natsu to set Lucy down, so she could work. He followed her instructions, but when it came to letting Lucy leave his arms, he found he couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her side, couldn't stand not having her skin against his and his warmth around her. He wanted to be able to fix her himself, wanted his fire to be hot enough to heal her.

"Natsu, you can stay by her side, but we have to let Porlyusica do her work," Levy said, helping him slide Lucy onto the table with a sympathetic expression. Grimacing, Natsu finally gently placed Lucy on the long table, kneeling next to it and keeping her hand clasped between his.

Porlyusica grumbled under her breath as she began slowly waving her healing hands over Lucy's unconscious form, assessing the damage. The grumpy woman's frown only deepened, her wrinkles etched into her skin.

"This is very bad. She used every drop of her magic power and then some, tapping into some strange well of magic that stole from her lifeforce." Porlyusica dug around in her bag, ignoring how Natsu and Levy reacted. Levy mentioned going to tell the others about Lucy's condition and checking in on everyone, leaving Natsu alone with Lucy as Porlyusica worked. The healer pulled a larger vial of the same blue potion she gave to Wendy and poured it down Lucy's throat.

It was then that Natsu closed his eyes and focused his hearing on listening to Lucy's breathing and her heartbeat. He held her hand against his lips, murmuring under his breath and asking her to come back to him.

First, she'd lost control from the nightmare haunting her and blew out her reserves, then she was caught up in the attack in the meadow and sacrificed herself to give Natsu and Gray the opportunity to strike at their enemy. His heart was swollen with emotions he couldn't understand. Natsu had never felt this strongly about anyone before, at least not in this way. He knew what love was, had heard about it from his friends and seen it from the outside of other people's relationships. But he'd never thought he would ever feel anything strong enough to call love.

It seemed things were changing. While he wasn't sure if what he felt for Lucy was love, he knew it must be close. Seeing her so severely injured brought up his own insecurities and doubts about his abilities, but it also made him realize he didn't just want to be her friend. He wanted…

More.

He wanted more time, more adventures, more pranks with Lucy. He wanted her to be by his side always, to fight alongside him. He wanted to keep breaking into her apartment and playing stupid jokes on her with Happy. He wanted more. _More_.

For now, however, he just wanted her healed. He wanted to bask in the golden glow of her starlight and hear her laugh and see her smile. Everything else could wait.

 **-00000-**

 **I'm back! The fall semester just started so of course I'm writing as a form of procrastination! I hope you all like this new chapter and where I'm taking the plot!  
More NaLu! More Angst! **

**Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to leave a comment below! It really helps keep me motivated!**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

When Lucy awoke, the first thing she noticed was the smothering heat surrounding her. She was encased in it, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was comforting. Her throat ached and itched with thirst. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking blankly in the darkness. She was in a bed, but it wasn't her own. It was one of the guest rooms on the second floor of the guild, she could tell by the shadowed patterns on the comforter tucked around her. The guild's crest was emblazoned in brilliant gold embroidery on the fabric, though it looked muddy in the darkness. She turned, noticing a presence laying next to her.

Natsu.

He was sleeping, but he looked exhausted. He was sitting in a chair at the side of the bed, but had slumped over onto the bed, his cheek squished against the blankets. A line of drool dripped down his chin. His brows were pinched, even in sleep, and she could see dark worried circles under his closed eyes.

A wave of adoration swept through her when she noticed he was still holding her hand. She carefully rolled onto her side to face him, then squeezed his hand. Natsu jolted awake at the touch, bolting upwards with a sharp breath. Lucy bit her lip to keep from smiling too wide. Natsu calmed when he saw her watching him, his eyes nearly shining in the dim room.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, leaning closer and wrapping both of his hands around hers and bringing them to his face. Natsu placed her palm against his cheek and leaned into her touch, his eyes drifting closed.

"I feel tired and drained, but alright," she answered, her voice rough with sleep. Natsu nodded and his head slumped. "It was a stupid plan."

"I know," she said. She did feel guilty about making her friends worry, and there was still some fear within her over how close she got to dying from both of her explosions of magic. The first star powered explosion was accidental, but when her friends were in danger, she knew saving them mattered more than herself. Lucy knew that if she truly kept using her magic to that degree to fight their attackers that there was a chance she wouldn't wake up again, but she had to try. Especially when she knew her plan would work and throw off the speedster and give Natsu and Gray a chance to make their counterattack.

"What happened after?" She asked softly, curling slightly under the blankets. Though Natsu was exuding plenty of warmth, she still felt a chill that penetrated deep into her bones and her spirit. There wasn't even the barest trickle of magic in her blood, still wiped out even after being treated by Porlyusica.

"Me and Gray took out the speedster, thanks to you," he glanced up and smirked at her, pride in his dark eyes. "Then one of 'em said 'you know what we want' and they ran away. Then we came home with everyone in tow and Porlyusica's been on a healing trip for the past few hours."

Lucy hummed, another spike of fear shooting down her spine. "So, it was Oracion Seis after all."

Natsu grunted his agreement, still holding her hand against his skin. Lucy's thumb absentmindedly caressed his cheek. "They must be after me, again."

Natsu's eyes darted up to meet hers, a fierce fiery fury burning within them. "They won't get you."

"I know," she said with a gentle smile. "But it was because of me that everyone was put in danger and hurt."

Natsu scowled. He leaned in closer, his elbows propped up on the mattress. He moved her hand from his face, but kept it locked between both of his hands. "Luce, there is no way this is your fault. You didn't ask for your powers, and what other people want to do is their own fault." He paused, a glimmer of mischief shining in his eyes. "Besides, I thought you'd know all this already since you're supposed to be the smart one."

Lucy huffed, but didn't disagree. Her response was cut off by a violent shiver. Goosebumps rose across her flesh and she cursed under her breath.

"Magic depletion sickness really sucks," she whined. She peered at him from under her lashes and bit her lower lip. "Would you mind sleeping next to me?"

Natsu shook his head and quickly climbed under the blankets with her, turning on his side so they faced each other. Lucy scooched back far enough to make room for him on the small bed, but they were still extremely close to each other. Her face was a few inches from his and their knees knocked together. She curled her cold toes against the warmth of his legs and he hissed at the feeling.

"Natsu," she began. He met her gaze and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands holding her sides with an unusual softness for the fire drakon. "I think the creature from my nightmare and the Oracion Seis are connected."

When he only stared at her in confusion, she shifted and continued. "It's just a hunch, but ever since my magic was returned to me, I've felt like something's been watching me. That nightmare only confirmed that something out there seriously wants my stardust, and not just me to use my magic for them like a puppet."

"You think there's some sicko out there that actually wants to eat your heart?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She nodded.

"The Oracion Seis are their own guild, but they're involved in a dark guild alliance that was started by someone. It's just a gut feeling, but I think we should keep our eyes open for that thing from my nightmare," she said.

"Don't' worry, Luce. I've got your back and you can definitely kick some ass now," Natsu said with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes. They stared at each other for a few silent moments, each relishing in the comfort of the other's presence. Natsu's warmth was pooling around her and she finally felt the chill inside of her begin to thaw.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything."

Natsu pulled her closer, his forehead brushing against hers. Lucy twined her arms around his chest and felt her eyes drift shut. She could barely believe how comforted and safe she felt in his arms. His hot breath fanned across her lips and she felt all the remaining tension coiled inside of her slowly relax and fade away. A purr rumbled from Natsu's chest and Lucy smiled in amusement. She'd only known Natsu for a couple months, but she couldn't imagine not having his presence in her life. He was a piece of her now, the two of them fitting together perfectly in a way she couldn't even begin to describe. She used to be completely and utterly alone, but now she was surrounded by precious friends and a new family. Her heart was so full it felt like it was bursting, but Lucy didn't mind at all.

She knew in her heart that together they would defeat the Oracion Seis and all enemies that followed. Her guild was her family, and family stayed together and fought for one another. Natsu was a part of that family, but he was also something more. Something she was scared to admit to herself. He was her best friend and her partner, but now her feelings were growing deeper and she wasn't sure what to do with them.

For now, they had bigger things to worry about, but maybe one day she would think about acting on her recent realizations. Maybe one day. Maybe.

But right at this moment in time she let herself enjoy being held by Natsu and being close to him. As his comforting warmth surrounded her and created a bubble around them, she let herself fall even more. When they woke tomorrow, there would be a million things to do and a million things to talk about.

Lucy chose not to worry about Oracion Seis or her lingering nightmare, and instead, for the first time in a couple days, fell into a deep and restful sleep.

-ooooo-

When Lucy woke up, sunlight streaming through the curtains, Natsu was curled around her back. His arms were still wrapped around her waist, keeping her tight against him. She hummed in pleasure, pressing against Natsu and placing her hands over his. She felt him purr against her, his nose nuzzling into her neck.

"Mornin,'" he grumbled, his voice rough with sleep. A huff of hot air blew against the nape of her neck, rustling her hair.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked, rolling over to face him. His eyes were cracked open, his pink hair a tangled mess. She didn't think she looked much better.

"Not long," he answered with a gentle smile.

"Have you been watching me sleep, you creep?" She asked teasingly. He chuckled.

"Maybe," he answered, nuzzling closer. Lucy giggled, feeling like a lovesick teenager again. Her heart was fluttering like little hummingbird's wings in her chest, heat flushing her cheeks. She was used to an affectionate Natsu, having been grabbed and lifted and hugged ever since they met. Hell, they've even already shared the same bed a couple of times, way more often than normal friends.

Yet, despite their history of always being physically affectionate with each other, she felt oddly nervous about their closeness. Because of her growing feelings for him, Lucy's nerves only intensified whenever he was near. She was sure he could hear her pounding heartbeat with his heightened senses.

"We should get up," she said. She didn't move to get up, however, and instead pressed her nose into his chest, heaving a tired sigh. Lucy wanted to check up on Erza and Wendy and the others, and talk to Levy, but she really did not want to leave this warm bubble of comfort. It seemed Natsu had the same idea because he only groaned and snuggled closer, his hands tightening around her waist.

"Do we have to?" He grumbled.

"Yes, we do. There's a lot we have to plan now, and we have to think about what to do about Oracion Seis," she answered, though she sounded equally as apathetic about their current predicament as he did. But, they had a job to do. A job that was critical to maintaining the secrecy of the magic world.

Lucy summoned all her energy and pulled away from Natsu's arms, wincing at the cold air when she tossed the blanket covering them aside and stepped out of the bed. Natsu only grumbled more nonsense and curled into the empty space she left behind with a deep sigh. Her lips twitched in amusement and she forced herself to trudge into the bathroom and shower.

Luckily, Levy had brought her a change of clothes, leaving them piled on the counter by the sink. Lucy took a quick shower and dressed. When she emerged from the connected bathroom, Natsu was gone. Though she felt a twinge of hurt and longing in her heart, Lucy smacked her cheeks and shook her head. She had to get it together. They were friends, and that was fine. Her friendship with Natsu was the most precious thing in her life, and she wouldn't do anything to risk that relationship no matter how strongly she felt.

Lucy plodded down to the main room of the guild, trying to hide her yawns. She still felt the residual effects of using too much magic. Her limbs were heavy and slow, her mind groggy, and now that Natsu was no longer next to her the constant chill had returned.

The tavern was filled with bustling guild members. Mira ran from table to table with drinks and food, Levy and Erza were talking to Porlyusica, Warren was relaying messages around the room and disappearing through the portal from time to time, Makarov was talking with the members of Lamia Scale and Hibiki from Blue Pegasus while the other men of Blue Pegasus flirted with Kinana and any other girl they laid eyes on.

Gray was the first to notice her entrance, the ice mage darting over and pulling her into a fierce hug.

"Don't ever pull that kind of stunt ever again," he said.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Lucy said, returning his embrace. Together, they walked to the bar where Erza was perched, a thick bandage covering her entire wounded arm. Erza hugged Lucy, who winced at the Valkyrie's immense strength even when wounded.

"While admirable, your actions put you in severe danger," Erza reprimanded. Lucy bowed her head in shame and apologized.

"Lucy! I'm so glad you're okay!" Levy cried, pulling the blonde into another loving embrace. Lucy held her friend and felt tears pool in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble," Lucy said, wiping the stray tears from her eyes and sitting at her usual barstool, Levy on one side and Gray taking the other. Levy clasped Lucy's hands in hers. "Lucy, I can't believe what happened."

"Neither can I. I never would have expected Oracion Seis to make the first move," Lucy said in disbelief. Levy nodded and even Erza agreed.

"We all thought we'd have to hunt those bastards down but instead they came to us," Gray said, banging his fist on the counter. Levy made an equally distressed grunt and scowled. Lucy frowned, still reeling from the sudden attack. She hated how her stardust was so coveted by dark guilds, and for a reason she still couldn't figure out. There was so much unknown about Starchildren, too much guesswork into the nature of her magic and it was incredibly frustrating.

"Hey Levy, we should summon Capricorn when I'm stronger and see if he can verify some of the stories we've read about Starchildren," Lucy said. Levy nodded her agreement. The two of them began talking about the folktales they'd read together about Starchildren, trying to piece together a history and catalog the powers of stardust.

"Lucy! You're awake!" Mira cried, reaching across the bar counter and pulling Lucy into a quick embrace.

"Hey, Mira," Lucy said, her smile growing wider when Mira pulled out a cold bottle of water and a plate of cheese and crackers from under the bar.

"Thank the heavens, I'm so hungry," Lucy whined, gulping down the refreshing water. She snacked on the crackers and cheese, grateful for the light meal with her delicate stomach still reeling from magical depletion.

"Gray, Erza," Lucy began, biting her lip nervously. "I just wanted to apologize for going all supernova yesterday. I hope I didn't hurt you too bad." Erza waved away her concern, citing the countless times she'd lost control herself and Gray just nodded in agreement.

"If I had a nickel for every time I've woken up to have my bed covered in a sheet of ice, I'd be so rich," Gray said. Lucy smiled and thanked her friends anyway. She knew her powers were hard to control sometimes, but she still hated losing control and hurting her friends like that. The image of Natsu, laying limp on the ground of that cottage covered in burns and barely breathing still haunted her. She did that to him. It didn't matter that she lost control, it was still her magic and her power that hurt him so severely. Her heart stung at the memory.

Soon Erza was dragged away to talk strategy with Makarov and Jura, Gray leaving a few moments after, so he could share what he gathered on the speedster during their bout. Lucy and Levy chatted about what contacts the Oracion Seis had and what they knew about the members.

"I mean we know they have someone who has some kind of speed power, and I believe I heard rumors about a drakon in their guild, but we'll have to wait and see," Levy said, pulling out a small notebook covered in her scribbled handwriting. Lucy couldn't even make out a single word, the writing was so messy.

"Here it talks about some of the crimes they've claimed credit for, mostly theft or public destruction," Levy began. "Sometimes they've teamed up with Grimoire Heart or used other smaller 0dark guilds to do their bidding, but the sources on those are less than trustworthy."

Lucy was so wrapped up in listening to Levy talk about the criminal exploits of Oracion Seis that she didn't even notice when Natsu appeared behind her. His arms looped around her waist and he dropped his head onto her shoulder as he draped his body over hers, a hot huff blowing from his mouth.

Squeaking in surprise, Lucy nearly fell off the barstool, only Natsu's body keeping her seated. "Gods, Natsu. You scared the life out of me," Lucy complained, reaching up to press a hand against her heart. She still leaned back into his touch and a smile still parted her lips when he grumbled against her skin.

"Not my fault you're so unaware of your surroundings," he said, hot air blowing from his lips and onto the sensitive skin of her neck, sending a delighted shiver down her spine. Natsu purred, the sound softly rumbling from his throat. He still seemed exhausted, almost as exhausted as she felt.

Levy cleared her throat, drawing Lucy's attention away from the man draped over her. She hadn't realized but she was gently petting his hair. Lucy felt a blush work its way up her neck.

"A-anyway, what were we talking about?" The blonde asked, a nervous laugh falling from her lips. Levy just smiled, a devilish gleam in her eyes. To be honest, Lucy didn't even realize right away how intimate her behavior with Natsu truly was. It just felt completely natural. Natsu was always extra affectionate and possessive, a consequence of his draconic instincts, and she'd just gotten used to it in the months of their friendship. Natsu didn't even seem to notice the amused looks shot their way from those in the guild. Lucy thanked the stars that Mira hadn't noticed yet, the barmaid too busy talking with Master Makarov.

"I guess we should go and meet up with Jura and the Master," Levy said after a pause, where she giggled at Natsu's actions. Lucy nodded her agreement and moved to hop off the barstool, only to have Natsu grumble and keep her perched on her seat.

"Natsu, we have to go help with the plan," she whined, grabbing at the arms around her waist to try and pry them off so she could stand. Natsu just dropped more of his weight on her shoulders and grumbled again. "Do we have to? I just wanna go back to sleep."

"Don't you want to beat up the assholes that attacked us?" She asked, smiling when he grunted in annoyance at her point.

"Natsu," Levy started, a creepily cheerful smile on the small mage's face. "Don't you want to go after the guys that hurt Lucy and want to take her magic away?" Levy finished, her smile only growing when a trickle of flame spilled from Natsu's mouth and his body started to heat.

"Now I'm all fired up!" He yelled, jumping off Lucy. He grabbed her arm and dragged her with him across the room to where Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were sitting with Mira and the Master. Natsu smacked a flaming fist down on the table, easily grabbing everyone's attention.

"So, Gramps, what's the plan?" Natsu's eyes burned with dangerous intent and smoke curled from his hands.

 **I hope y'all enjoyed all the fluffy goodness in this chapter! I'm hoping to update more frequently with slightly shorter chapters.**

 **Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review! 3**

 *****I'm working on the formatting issues I'm experiencing****


	18. Chapter Eighteen

After being chastised for burning his handprint into another table, Natsu sat down next to Lucy, shrugging one arm over her shoulders and keeping her tucked close against his chest. Mira was all too excited about the affectionate actions of the fire drakon, much to Lucy's chagrin. Even the Master paused to look over and chuckle at Natsu's actions.

"We were just talking about how Oracion Seis found the meeting place," Jura said, seemingly unperturbed by Natsu's sudden entrance into the conversation.

"It's disturbing how they managed to find that safe house, known only to the three guilds sent to meet there." Makarov stroked his mustache and grimaced. Jura nodded solemnly in agreement and even Hibiki paused his leering at Mira to shake his head.

"Rumor has it that their leader is of formidable intellect, and they have a drakon on their side who could have followed the magic signatures to find us," Jura said. Lucy frowned and leaned closer to Natsu, who growled and rubbed her shoulder with his hand in comfort.

"Natsu says my magic smells different from anything he's encountered, so maybe that has something to do with how they found us," Lucy said softly, cursing at herself internally for how much trouble she was causing everyone.

"There's another option none of us want to consider," Erza said, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. "We could have been betrayed, or someone in the Council could have been compromised."

The mood around the table darkened at her words. It was true, the most likely explanation for the ambush was a traitor hiding in their midst. Lucy didn't want to think that anyone in Fairy Tail could ever do something so evil, and if the rest of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were like Jura and Lyon and everyone else, she didn't want to think anyone from their guilds could have committed treason either.

"It's possible, but I don't think that's the reason," Makarov said.

"Forget about why or how they found us, the only thing that matters is they did and what we're gonna do about it," Natsu said, flames curling in his mouth.

"Natsu does have a point." Erza conceded. "We can't change what's happened. We can only keep moving forward and figure out everything when we can."

Lucy nodded. She felt the tiniest flare of her magic burst inside of her, a sign of her recovery. She felt a warm flash of happiness spread through her as the trickle of her magic kept growing and growing with each passing second. Having such a restful and comforting evening last night really seemed to jumpstart her healing.

"We know they're after my magic, but we just don't know why," Lucy said dejectedly. She really was tired of being hunted for her stardust, but at least she had her guild, her family, at her side. "If Levy and I can squeeze in some time to do research while we talk to Crux and Capricorn, and maybe even Leo, we might be able to piece together a more definitive motivation."

Levy, who chose to sit across from Lucy and Natsu, nodded her agreement. "Lucy's right. If we can find out exactly what they're after, maybe we stand a better chance at stopping them."

"Right then. Lucy, you and Levy will work on looking into your magic and the Starchildren. Erza, Jura and I will reach out to the Council and Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale to see if they have any new information on Oracion Seis's movements," Makarov said, staring at each of them as he went down the line with his tasks. "We stay in the guild for now, unless absolutely necessary. We don't want a repeat of yesterday's ambush. Unfortunately, until we have more information on our enemy's whereabouts, our paths are limited." Makarov brushed his mustache in thought, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"Don't worry, Master. We're Fairy Tail, there's nothing we can't do when we're working together," Mira said cheerfully. Lucy grinned, feeling rejuvenated at Mira's encouraging words and aura.

"You're right. Well, we'll part for now and reconvene in a few hours when we hopefully have more information and a better idea of what we're up against," Makarov concluded.

"Aye sir!" Natsu shouted, pumping his free fist in the air with enthusiasm. Even Erza cracked a smile before walking off with Jura and Hibiki, talking about how to communicate with their guilds using Lacrima crystals. Mira gave everyone a blindingly bright smile before grabbing her tray off the table and returning to work.

"Oh, where's Happy and Charle?" Lucy asked, finally realizing what was missing from their ensemble. She hadn't seen the Exceeds since they left for the alliance's meeting two days ago.

"They're scouting and flying between guilds, delivering messages and keeping an eye out. They'll be back later today," Natsu said. Lucy nodded, but a frown pulled at her lips. She missed the eager Exceed and his penchant for fish.

"Is that where you ran off to this morning?" She asked, turning to stare into Natsu's eyes, the arm that had been tucked against his side moving to wrap around his waist. He nodded, worry flashing in his dark eyes. Lucy nudged his shoulder with her head. "I'm sure they'll be fine. They're mages of Fairy Tail, after all."

Smiling, Natsu ducked his head and nodded. "You're damn right."

The two of them just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, unaware of the watchful gazes of their guildmates. Levy was trying to hold back her giggles and Mira had stopped serving food and drink to stare at their display from behind the bar, Cana sitting with a barrel of beer perched on her knee, a knowing smile on the witch's face.

"Hey, you're glowing again," Natsu teased, a bright smile on his face as he lifted the hand from her shoulder to play with her shining locks of hair. Lucy gasped and grabbed some of her hair, staring at the glowing golden locks with a soft smile.

"Looks like my magic's coming back," she mused, tucking the hair back over her shoulder. Natsu just kept twirling her glowing hair in his hand, his smile only growing wider when Lucy tried to swat him away. He tugged hard enough to move her head and she cursed at him.

"Will you stop that! I'm not some toy for your amusement," she glowered, the light emanating from her hair only growing in intensity at her anger. The golden flecks of stardust in her brown eyes flashed and she tried again to sway his pestering hand away from her hair.

"Aw but Luce, I love when you turn into a human glowstick," Natsu said, pulling her back against his side and nuzzling his chin on the top of her head. Scowling, Lucy shook her head to get him off. Natsu puffed smoke in her face, laughing when she coughed and sputtered. Cursing, Lucy jumped from her seat and grabbed at the fire drakon, her scowl deepening when he slyly slid away from her grasp.

"Natsu Dragneel, so help me gods, get back here," she shouted, running after him as he darted around tables and hopped over chairs. Before she knew it, she was glowing again, her magic flashing brighter when Natsu teased her from across the room.

"Ugh! I am done with you," she said, huffing in frustration. She walked back to where Levy was seated, smiling in amusement at their antics, and dragged her friend with her down to the magical library in the guild's lower levels. She could hear Natsu call her name, but she chose to ignore him.

"Seems like you two are getting closer," Levy teased, laughing when Lucy's face turned bright red.

"It's not like that," the blonde sputtered, pushing open the heavy door leading into the library with a grunt.

The first time Levy brought her down to Fairy Tail's library, Lucy nearly cried in happiness. She'd never seen so many books in one place. The shelves towered impossibly high, the room its own magical pocket tucked in between the floors of the guild. Ladders lined the towering shelves and books had a habit of falling from their spots and floating around the room as they pleased. Even now, entering the great library for what had to be the hundredth time since she joined the guild, Lucy still felt a near overwhelming feeling of childlike wonder as she stared into the endless stream of bookshelves spanning in every direction.

Levy had already sorted through the massive collection, stacks of books related to Starchildren and the Celestial realm already stacked on one of the long worktables squeezed between the rows of shelves. Little light lacrimas began to shine as they entered the room, the lights flickering to life in rows upon rows, illuminating the vast space like falling dominoes.

"We sifted through a few of the piles while you were gone, and unfortunately didn't find anything new or relevant at all." Levy pushed one of the great stacks of heavy books across the top of the table with little effort. Sometimes Lucy forgot that Levy was a full blown demi-fae, her tiny body filled with incredible strength.

"I'll go ahead and summon Crux and Capricorn and see what advice they have," Lucy said, reaching for her keys as she spoke. Levy glanced at Lucy with concern, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle having two gates open for so long?"

"I've done it before, and since I'm not really exerting myself it should be fine." Lucy assured, quickly summoning Crux with a wave of her hand. The cross-shaped spirit appeared on the table, already snoozing away. She then summoned Capricorn, the spirit who knew the most about the intricacies of her magical abilities. She felt a slight drain on her magic when the Zodiac spirit appeared, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"Thanks for coming," Lucy said, smiling at her two companions. Capricorn bowed his head in greeting, his sunglasses reflecting the lacrima light. Lucy almost wanted to ask why he kept them on when they were indoors but chose to keep her questions to herself for now. She knew her spirits were…quirky.

"Levy and I were wondering if you could help us figure out what about my stardust interests dark wizards so much, and why this guild we're fighting wants it so bad," Lucy explained. Crux, who'd still been snoring away, suddenly sat up.

"Stardust, the magical energy from the soul of a star, can be used in almost any capacity due to it's close relationship to raw magic. Many use it to break curses or power great and terrible machines," The spirit said before promptly falling back asleep.

Frowning, Lucy took a seat at one of the chairs, grabbing a few books to sift through while she talked with her spirits.

"Crux is right," Capricorn said. "The applications for your type of magic are basically limitless, and many use the starlight to wreak havoc on the world."

"That sounds wonderful," Lucy muttered. She turned to Crux, and asked, "Crux, do you know the abilities of the Oracion Seis?"

The spirit snored for a few moments, and Levy seemed to grow more unsure of the spirit's attention. After another silent minutes, Crux sat up just as suddenly again. "The Oracion Seis posses a drakon of unknown abilities, and a mage who specializes in Celestial magic and possesses three golden keys. The other member's abilities are unknown."

Lucy gasped in shock, her hand dropping to the keys hanging from her belt loop. Even Levy looked surprised and Capricorn shook his head.

"How does a normal mage have the ability to summon Celesital Sprits?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"It can be done, with enough strength, but it is very rare for someone to summon a Zodiac when they do not have the power of a star in their blood. I'd assume she was given a dark power that allowed her to learn Celestial Spirit magic," Capricorn answered. Lucy frowned, upset that a dark mage possessed three spirits.

"I guess we'll have to deal with her ourselves," Luc said, feeling her keys warm in encouragement in her hand. "For now, we should focus on finding out what kind of machines are powered by my magic, that Crux mentioned."

"I'll start a search for chaos and dark magic machines. I know some were created by Zeref, so we should have some record of them in here somewhere," Levy said, walking to a large lacrima crystal near the entrance of the library. The lacrima glowed as Levy touched it, typing and swiping the crystal like a touchscreen.

"We'll start going through the books we already have, and I'll have Crux start a search as well," Lucy said. She quickly asked Crux a volley of questions on dark magic and heavenly magic, letting the spirit fall back into his snoring state as he searched, then had Capricorn sit with her to sift through the piles upon piles of books and check for accurate information.

Soon Levy dropped another great stack of books relating to dark magic powered machines on the table. Together the four of them kept sifting through the information they had, only to come up with little to nothing on Zeref's dark machines.

Hours passed, and Lucy barely felt the drain of keeping two gates open. In fact, her magic seemed happy to have something to channel into. Mira stopped by after the first few hours to bring a pitcher of water and some snacks to tide them over while they worked, updating them on the situation upstairs as well. According to Lamia Scale, they heard a rumor that Oracion Seis was camped out in the outskirts of Magnolia, as if waiting for Fairy Tail. Lucy's nerves only intensified at the news. She relayed what they found to Mira, asking her to relay the information to the other guilds in the hopes that someone knew more about what kind of chaotic purpose her magic would be used for.

They returned to work, compiling a list of possible uses for stardust, ranging from simple healing to immortality and to powering great demonic machines meant to carve apart the earth. With each passing moment Lucy's mood only darkened and soured, growing more despaired with each dark purpose her magic could be used for.

When they reached the seventh straight hour of reading, and Lucy's eyes hurt from the strain, she let her spirits return to the spirit world and groaned her frustrations. Levy glanced up from the book she was speeding through, her special glasses granting her the ability to read an entire book in mere moments.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Plus, I think it's almost time to meet up with everyone again," Lucy said, rubbing her growling stomach. Levy nodded her agreement, putting aside her glasses and the book with a deep sigh.

"We didn't learn as much as I hoped. None of the contraptions we found seemed to be strong enough or realistic enough for Oracion Seis to want to use, and we didn't find out much more about your magic either." Levy despaired. Sighing, Lucy linked her arm with Levy's and together they walked back up to the main tavern, the glowing lacrimas bobbing in the air blinking away as they left.

"I'm sure the others managed to create a good plan," Lucy said. Hunger pains stung her stomach and the slight drain of using too much magic pulled at her limbs. Hopefully, after eating a big meal, she would be right as rain again. While she did feel weakened from keeping two gates open simultaneously for so long, it was a new personal best for her. She never would have believed she was capable of such a feat even mere weeks ago when she could barely keep a golden gate open for a few hours. The training exercises Capricorn gave her were really paying off, and Lucy hoped she would be able to summon a Stardress sooner rather than later.

They entered the tavern with low hopes and disappointment. Today was the only day they had to truly investigate the Oracion Seis and their motivations, and Lucy and Levy came up with squat. When they made it to the bar, where Mira was cleaning a few glasses and Cana drinking while reading her cards, they nearly collapsed into their barstools.

"No luck?" Mira asked, giving the two girls sympathetic looks. Lucy nodded.

"There's too much to sift through and ninety-nine percent of it is all bullshit," Lucy said. Levy hummed her agreement, rubbing her tired eyes. Mira said something about getting them food, then disappeared into the kitchen, her sister Lisanna right behind her.

"Luce!" Natsu's voice called. Lucy spun in her seat, trying to hold back her grin as Natsu bounded over to her from where he'd been talking to Erza and Gray. Her annoyance with his childish behavior had evaporated after she first stepped foot in the library. She'd even found herself missing his warmth and his presence as she worked but knew if he was around they'd never get anything done.

"Erza kept me from goin' down to the library with you, told me you needed to focus," Natsu said with a pout, taking a seat at the free stool next to her and leaning his head on his hand, his elbow perched on the counter. Lucy smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair.

"It was good of her to do that, but it turns out it wouldn't have mattered. We found next to nothing in our research," Lucy said. Natsu grabbed her hand as it drew away from his pink locks and held it in his, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand.

"That sucks. Gramps didn't find out much either, besides whispered rumors that might not even be true," Natsu said. Lucy leaned her head onto his shoulder and groaned in frustration. "We know they have a drakon, some kind of poison magic, a speedster, and a Celestial mage but that's it."

"It isn't much to go on," Levy confessed, feeling the stress of their situation.

"Yea but we're Fairy Tail, we don't give up easy," Natsu chirped. Lucy smiled and lifted her head, noticing Natsu's quiet noise of protest. She squeezed his hand in assurance. She knew his possessive instincts acted up after she was injured, and after the state she was in yesterday she couldn't blame him for his clinginess. Hell, even she wanted to stay close to him after injuring him during her magical outburst.

"Aye sir!" Levy cheered, drawing a laugh from Natsu and Lucy. A moment later, Mira reappeared with a platter of various sandwiches and fries.

"I have plenty more in the back, so eat up!" Mira said brightly, placing the platter down on the counter in front of a delighted Natsu. His aura warmed as he stared at the delicious food and Lucy couldn't help but smile at her partner's glee.

She quickly darted in and grabbed a handful before Natsu began demolishing the platter of food. Handing Levy a couple sandwiches before they fell apart in her hands, scooting away from Natsu as food was thrown around as he ate. Levy picked a flying piece of cheese out of her hair with a grimace, so Lucy stood and dragged her friend over to a different table away from Natsu's mess. They ate in companionable silence, Lucy too wrapped up in her own thoughts about the dangers of her magic, Levy still thinking about the texts she'd read about Zeref and his deadly machines.

"Man, that flame-brain sure does make a mess," Gray said, appearing at the end of their table and sliding into the bench next to Lucy. He'd already lost his shirt to his stripping habit, but luckily still wore his pants. Lucy glanced around the hall, looking for a seething Juvia, but didn't see her menacing self anywhere. She briefly wondered where the obsessive water user could be during such a chaotic time in the guild.

"Tell me about it," Lucy said, glancing over at where Natsu was eating, scraps and bits of food scattered around him.

"Gramps says we should all meet in about an hour, he's waiting to hear back from the Council," Gray informed, reaching over to snag the last bite of Lucy's ham sandwich.

"Hey! Get your own," Lucy snapped, pulling her plate away from the thieving ice mage with a pout. Before she could say anything else, a ball of fire exploded against Gray's skull. Ash coated his dark hair and smeared across his face. His utterly bewildered face. Unable to help herself, Lucy burst into a fit of laughter at Gray's reaction.

Natsu, who'd moved from his spot at the bar, had stopped eating and was glaring at Gray from the other side of the table. Gray shot up from his seat, murder in his dark eyes as he returned Natsu's glare. Before they had a chance to even jump at each other and make the first swing, Erza intervened.

"I hope that wasn't a fireball I just saw, Natsu," Erza said darkly. The Valkyrie fixed Gray with a dark stare, as if daring him to take retaliation and cause a commotion. Gray sat down just as fast as he stood up, an overly cheerful grin on his face. Natsu paled and blurted his obvious excuses, darting over to Lucy and hiding behind her.

Natsu grabbed her arms and propped his chin on her shoulder, using her as a human shield should Erza decide to attack. Luckily for the fire drakon, Mira came by with a slice of strawberry cake, successfully distracting Erza from her wrath.

Sighing in relief, Natsu's arms slid down to her waist, then he lifted her, so he could slide underneath and pull her onto his lap. She squeaked in surprise at his action. Natsu just looped his arms around her and held him against his chest as he curled around her with a quiet rumbling purr. A faint blush flushed Lucy's cheeks as Levy and Gray stared at the affectionate drakon. "Natsu, what are you doin?"

He shrugged and glared at Gray from over her shoulder. Her heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute and she knew he could hear it and feel it against his chest. She was so surprised at how overly affectionate he was being that she almost didn't notice the way his hands shook slightly against her skin and how his own heartbeat matched hers in speed. Lucy felt a little satisfaction in knowing Natsu wasn't as confident about his actions as he pretended to be and that he had a vulnerable side.

"Stupid possessive drakons," Lucy muttered under her breath, drawing a low chuckle from her human blanket. She patted his hands, loosening one from her stomach to hold it, lacing their fingers together. Lucy knew she was being selfish with Natsu's attentions, when she knew they were just friends and that he was too dense to know about relationships. But with what they were facing and what she learned today from Crux, she figured she'd allow herself to be spoiled.

She just wasn't looking forward to the inevitable teasing she'd hear from Mira and Levy.

Speaking of Mira, the woman was practically exuding reckless glee while she unabashedly stared at Natsu and Lucy, a dangerous sparkle in her mischievous eyes. Natsu leaned into Lucy's neck, his purr growing in strength.

"Natsu, are you fucking _purring_?" Gray asked, looking all too pleased with himself for having noticed. All at once the purring stopped and Natsu tensed.

"Where's your pants, jackass?" Natsu shot back. Gray looked down and cursed, looking around the table to see where his pants had disappeared to. Lucy wondered how he could have removed them while still sitting down.

"Listen up brats!" Makarov shouted from where he stood on the bar, his voice echoing loudly in the room. All eyes turned to the short man, a tense silence descending in the air. "We've received word that the Oracion Seis have attacked a small village just outside of Magnolia. They're threatening the secrecy of the magic world, and the lives of innocents."

Lucy gasped and tightened her grip on Natsu's hand. He squeezed hers back.

"We move out now, with the Alliance from the three guilds. A small strike team familiar with their attack style is what will work best. We can't draw more attention to the situation from the humans. Get ready, you all leave in ten minutes." Makarov finished. The silence persisted, everyone feeling the danger and the stress of their circumstances. Lucy knew the others wished they could come fight too, but if the Oracion Seis were truly trying to expose magic, Makarov was right to send the same people out in response. As if sensing the fear in the room, Makarov sighed.

"We're Fairy Tail! We're family and these bastards are threatening one of our own and our way of life! Now get up off your asses and get to work!" Makarov shouted.

"Aye sir!" Natsu shouted. Soon the phrase was being repeated throughout the guild, everyone's mood lightening. Lucy leaned back against Natsu's chest, taking a moment to relish in his warmth and his presence. If they were going to battle, and face the full might of the dark guild, it would be dangerous, and people were likely to get injured again.

But that didn't change the fact that the Oracion Seis needed to be stopped.

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed the overindulgent fluff in this chapter! I know not a lot happened in this one, but next we begin the fight against the Oracion Seis and a few other exciting things ;)**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing from y'all!**_


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